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return to subject listing'What's News?' Video Lesson - NewseumED
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): journalism (72), news (229), newspapers (91)
In the Classroom
Using the Activity lesson plan/viewing guide, share the before viewing discussion with the class. Consider giving all students a chance to voice their opinions (even the shyest ones) by using a tool like Backchannel Chat, reviewed here. Then, show the video to the whole class, or "flip" the class and have students watch it at home. Either way, the viewing guide questions could be inserted into the video using a tool such as edpuzzle, reviewed here. After the video, use the discussion questions and Backchannel Chat again. Next, have students (or small groups) choose one of the extension activities to complete and share with classmates. Lastly, have students (or small groups) choose one of the extension activities to complete and share with classmates.The reviewers at TeachersFirst have some suggestions for online tools to use for those final (extension) projects: Items 1 and 2 suggest creating a video newscast or newspaper. Consider starting with Copy Edit This!, reviewed here, to give students in the a look at newspaper editing. Possibly follow these up with Pulitzer Center Lesson Plans, reviewed here, that shows students how to identify global issues.
If you don't feel comfortable showing student faces on the Internet via video, you may want to have them create a radio show instead; for that use Anchor, reviewed here, provides free podcasting tools.
Item 3 includes a timeline. Have students create an interactive timeline (it can include text, images and collaboration) using Sutori, reviewed here. Items 4, 6, and 7 suggest making a collage. An easy online tool such as Fotojet, reviewed here, will make beautiful collages for your student projects. Item 5 suggests you use Facebook. If your district blocks Facebook, use Fakebook, reviewed here. For managing projects like #8-10 use a tool like Google Keep, reviewed here, and an animated, multimeda presentation tool like Animatron Studio's Presentation Maker, reviewed here.
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National Geographic Kids - National Geographic
Grades
K to 7This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (284), blended learning (37), countries (70), endangered species (27), environment (238), plants (147), reading comprehension (142)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for interactive whiteboards or projectors. Display the site on your whiteboard to use as a learning center for students. Select videos for lesson introductions for flipped or blended learning activities. For language arts, practice finding the main idea or summarizing stories using these interesting informational texts. ENL/ESL learners can also find accessible news stories here. Choose words from stories to include with weekly spelling tests or as vocabulary builders. Assign different stories to groups of students to summarize and present to the class. Enhance learning by challenging cooperative learning groups to create videos about any article on the site. Upload images (use Creative Commons or other copyright-safe pictures) and use moovly, reviewed here, for this project. Then share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Use the site for learning games that will appeal more to younger students. Preview all video since some feature animals hunting which may upset some students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World Population History - Population Connection
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): advanced placement (26), conservation (86), environment (238), population (48)
In the Classroom
Try using this website in science class during environmental science units on human population growth. Start the class by sharing this site on an interactive whiteboard (or projector) for students to see. Provide time for students to look at the material and to generate questions about it. Brainstorm not only questions but what students learned from it. Allow groups time to research the economic and social issues that have caused such a change in population and how people live. Challenge students to make a multimedia presentation using Sway, reviewed here, about what they learned from the different time periods or themes. With Sway, you can have music, photos, videos, and even make it interactive.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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USA Today Rio Olympics Guide - YouTube - USA Today
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): olympics (38), south america (36), sports (77)
In the Classroom
Share videos with your students as you follow the Summer Olympic games from your classroom. Use the "how to watch" sports videos as a model, then have students create their own videos describing how to watch their favorite sport. Share their videos on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Research Olympic athletes and their countries, then have cooperative learning groups create podcasts sharing news about the Olympics. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here to complete a podcasting project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Protecting Children's Privacy Guide - Paul Bischoff
Grades
K to 12tag(s): internet safety (113)
In the Classroom
Share information from this article with students as part of your ongoing lessons in cyber safety. Share a link on your class website as a resource for parents. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts sharing online safety tips and suggestions. Use a site such as PodOmatic, reviewed here, for a podcasting project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Filming a Beluga Whale - National Geographic
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): climate change (88), migration (44), oceans (149), whales (11)
In the Classroom
Share this video on an interactive whiteboard or projector, or ask students to watch at home as an introduction to a unit on ocean animals or climate change. Challenge students to research whales further and learn more about their migrations and interactions as a unit. Have students use Vibby, reviewed here, to grab more information from other YouTube videos to share with the class about whale behavior. Have students create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here, to show locations of whales around the world and their migration patterns. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map to show the locations of the whales.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Rio 2016 Olympics - International Olympic Committee
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): olympics (38), seasonal (18), south america (36), sports (77), summer (30)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard and allow students to explore on their own. Create a bulletin board to display the latest medal counts, have students update daily with information from the Olympics site. Have students create a simple infographic on their favorite sport using Venngage reviewed here. Have cooperative learning groups create daily podcasts to share the latest news from the Olympics. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Data USA - Deloitte, Datawheel, and Cesar Hidalgo
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): cities (17), communities (36), data (147), demographics (13), population (48), states (122), statistics (116)
In the Classroom
Bookmark Data USA to use as a resource for finding and comparing U.S. statistics. Explore information about your city or state and compare to other locations. Show students a purpose for these facts by assigning different articles from the Stories section. Dig deeper into current events using this site. Explore the demographics and economy of any place in the news to help understand local issues. If your class has a partner class in another part of the country, Data USA is a perfect resource for sharing and comparing community information. Depending on the topic of study, after exploring this site, Redefine learning by challenging students to make a multimedia presentation such as a poster using Marq (was Lucidpress), reviewed here, infographic with Infogram, reviewed here, or a slide show using Google Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Making the Grade - PBS NewsHour
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): news (229), newspapers (91), professional development (394)
In the Classroom
Use information from this site as part of your ongoing professional development and discussion within your school and district regarding educational issues. Have debate students use this site as a resource for topics or to find information for their viewpoint in a debate. Challenge students to read articles and write about how they would address the issues if placed in a position of power. Challenge students to create a multimedia presentation representing their viewpoint using Vevox, reviewed here. Vevox offers interactive features such as real-time polls and comments to keep viewers interested and involved in the presentation. Vevox allows adding polls, videos, embeds, web links, and PowerPoint.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover at Namib Dune (360 view) - NASA
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Share this video (or the images) with students using your projector or an interactive whiteboard as you explore the surface of Mars together. Have students use Twitter Fictional Account Template, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Twitter about an astronaut traveling to Mars. Challenge student to modify their learning and create a newspaper using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here, with all the latest news on the exploration of Mars. Be sure to check out the NASA YouTube channel for additional videos from Mars and the Curiosity Rover.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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New York Times Spanish Edition - New York Times
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): journalism (72), multilingual (67), news (229), newspapers (91), spanish (105)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for advanced Spanish language learners for current events projects or for ENL/ESL students to stay up to date on current events- assign students different weeks throughout the semester in which they are to be the class news reporter, keeping their peers up to date and informed. Have students research what's going on via this news site, and present a short presentation at the beginning of class every day during their week. Enhance learning by challenging cooperative learning groups to create their own news videos using a tool like Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here, and share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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American Archive of Public Broadcasting - Library of Congress & WGBH
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1900s (73), earth (184), radio (20), religions (77), sports (77), video (260), women (138), world war 1 (73), world war 2 (151)
In the Classroom
Bookmark the American Archive of Public Broadcasting for use as primary source material for classroom lessons. Browse by topic or keywords to find videos to share on your interactive whiteboard or share a link on your class website for students to view at home. Enhance students' learning and have them use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about an important figure from America's recent past. Transform student learning by having students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here, to demonstrate what they learned from one of the radio programs, videos, or exhibits.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PenPal Schools - Joe Troyen
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): cross cultural understanding (155)
In the Classroom
Create an account and participate in different courses as part of your studies of current events. Enrich course content by having students create an annotated image based on discussion questions including text boxes, related links, and even video. Use Thinglink, reviewed here, for this activity. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts demonstrating their understanding of one of the concepts. Use a tool such as podOmatic, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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eLearning Infographics - e-Learning Industry LLC
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): digital storytelling (144), infographics (57), professional development (394)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the infographics on this site for both classroom use and professional development. Introduce a topic by sharing the Infographic and allowing time for students (or peers) to identify various items that they notice about the chart. Allow time to think-pair-share and list questions for further understanding. Choose a new infographic each week and use links for each image to embed on your website or share via social media. Make curriculum content more real with infographics that students can relate to. Consider creating Infographics of material students are learning in class for better understanding and connection with other topics and the world around them. You and students can create a simple infographic sharing information and/or findings using Snappa, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Election Collection - PBS Learning Media
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): debate (37), elections (80), electoral college (22), presidents (122), speech (66)
In the Classroom
Include The Election Collection as part of any election unit. Have students research candidate information and compare and contrast points of view. Use an online tool such as the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, or the Interactive Three Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. Pose a controversial question about an election issue and have students answer as one of the candidates. Use a tool such as Dotstorming, reviewed here, for that exercise. Or, challenge students to use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a candidate's journey through the election process. Or, using Fakebook, have two candidates debate an issue. Be sure to take advantage of the free lesson plans offered on this site correlated to National History Standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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New York State K-12 Social Studies Resource Toolkit - NYSED
Grades
K to 12tag(s): assessment (146), commoncore (75), professional development (394)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use when teaching social studies concepts throughout the year. Although created for New York teachers, activities correspond to Common Core Standards used throughout the country. Be sure to take advantage of all resources available such as worksheets, assessment suggestions, and teaching tips. Share with other teachers as you collaborate and plan together.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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KQED Education - KQED
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): independent reading (86), news (229), newspapers (91)
In the Classroom
Include a link to KQED Education on classroom computers. Be sure to help your weaker readers and ESL/ELL students by sharing the vocabulary words before reading, either on a handout or by projecting them on an interactive whiteboard (or projector). Highlight the vocabulary words in the text as you come to them. Teacher Librarians might want to keep this page open on computers for students who drop by the media center or include news notes from this site as part of your morning announcements. Do you have a student news show on your school TV channel? Find great material here for students to retell in their own words.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World Affairs Council - Washington, DC - World Affairs Council - Washington, DC
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): africa (139), climate change (88), cross cultural understanding (155), ecology (99), foreign policy (12), germany (25), news (229), terrorism (41), terrorist (12)
In the Classroom
Thanks to instantaneous news shows and social media, the students of the 21st Century are very aware of global issues. That is not to say they understand them. Start a current events program in your class, you may want to look at Newsela, reviewed here, TweenTribune, reviewed here, or Flocabulary, reviewed here. Then turn to the World Affairs Council and their YouTube channel to get explanations about global issues. The topics are extensive; some are specific and some are more general like global warming (or climate change) and the failure of the global economy. All are current, and all will give your students a different perspective on the topic. With older students, each week you could put a different small group in charge of featuring a current event and ask them to research its history, and see if they can also find the topic on the WAC YouTube channel. Have those students create an annotated, narrated image including text boxes and related links using a multimedia tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here, to present to the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bystander Revolution - Take the Power Out of Bullying - MacKenzie Bezos
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): bullying (49)
In the Classroom
Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to talk to your class about bullying with these videos. Use this discussion to prompt a journal entry, skit, or other personal response on the topic of bullying and how to handle it. Exchange pencil and paper and use a blogging tool like edublog, reviewed here. Provide this link for parents to view at home with their students. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create their own videos addressing bullying issues. Replace paper and start with Story Map, reviewed here, for students to plan their skit. Share the skits on a site such as SchoolTube, reviewed here. Be sure to share this site with your school's counselors and anyone else who deals with students who are being bullied.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Parable of the Polygons - Vi Hart and Nicky Case
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): cross cultural understanding (155), percent (58), racism (76), ratios (46)
In the Classroom
Parable of the Polygons is excellent for use in both math and social studies classes. Use in your social studies class to discover how bias and racism affect diversity through the escalation of small situations into larger problems. Challenge students to explore and interact through different scenarios to view changes. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts demonstrating their understanding of one of the concepts. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here. Share this site as an excellent interactive for use during math fairs.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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