Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

CodeHow is a series of YouTube videos created by alumni of CodeNow sessions teaching students about coding. Presented by students, these videos explain common programming misconceptions and programming concepts. Topics include getting started with Github, Cloud9, and specific programming concepts such as working with string variables. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): coding (85), computers (109), creativity (86), critical thinking (127), logic (161), problem solving (233)

The STEM Careers Coalition will help you and your students take a real-life view of STEM concepts in action with the activities on this site detailing careers and projects. Click the Getting Started tab at the to and slide down to Educators to find Classroom Activities for interactive lessons correlated to math and science standards. Two examples of the activities are: analyzing irrigation systems (after trying to build a mini one of their own), and discussing renewable and non-renewable energy sources and creating a proposal for a power solution for a ranger station in rural Alaska. There are several others of the same quality. All of the activities include materials lists (when needed) and handouts for students. The Career section contains videos (2 to 5 minutes long), career profiles, and student activation PDFs.

tag(s): energy (133), geology (62), recycling (45), STEM (297), water (102)

Connected Science Learning is an online journal featuring STEM education experiences. Featured articles focus on classroom STEM learning projects and innovations. Other portions of the journal include links to STEM in real-world practice and a focus on bringing STEM learning to underserved groups.
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tag(s): careers (156), engineering (129), STEM (297)

Stem in 30 is an interactive classroom offering 30-minute webcasts for middle school students. Interact with scientists by asking questions, participate in polls, and receive resources for follow-up activities. Don't worry if you can't attend, view the archives of all past presentations to enjoy at your convenience. Previous topics include Moon Rocks!, Time and Navigation, and WW1: How History Shaped Technology. Most archived recordings include correlation to Next Generation Science Standards. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): aviation (40), earth (184), earth day (60), ecology (103), ecosystems (83), flight (34), mars (26), molecules (43), space (222), STEM (297), world war 1 (77)

HomeAdvisor presents a series of lessons, activities, projects, and videos for grades K-12 introducing young people to the world of construction. Choose a grade level band to begin browsing content. Topics include real-world activities such as viewing and building bird houses, scientific experiments to learn about erosion, and analyzing electric circuits.

tag(s): animal homes (57), animals (294), architecture (75), bridges (11), circuits (20), counting (60), electricity (61), engineering (129), erosion (15), geometric shapes (134), habitats (92), insects (68), makerspace (40), pyramids (21), simple machines (19), solar energy (34), STEM (297), water (102)

Emoji Science takes the simple and understandable world of emojis to explain complex science concepts. Explore the Emoji Table of Experiments to find videos (with special guests), do it yourself science experiments, and more. The broad range of topics includes content such as super materials, the human brain, and plants. Scroll down the homepage to find the link to Emoji Education that includes lesson plans aligned to standards. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): climate change (99), energy (133), human body (93), magnetism (36), solar energy (34), solar system (110)

Explore the science behind the hidden world of nanotechnology, where you measure objects in the billionths of meters. Six videos offered by NBC Learn in partnership with the National Science Foundation discuss Nanotechnology at the Surface, Nanoelectronics, Nanoarchitecture, Nano-Enabled Sensors, and Nanoparticles, plus quantum dots and working in nanoscale. Videos are approximately 5 to 6 minutes in length with a transcript. Although part of a larger site that charges for access, these videos and lessons are all free. This video now resides on NBC Learn's YouTube channel. If your district blocks YouTube, it may not be viewable.
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tag(s): careers (156), chemicals (39), engineering (129), scientists (67)

Novel Engineering offers an integrated approach to teaching engineering with literacy. Learn about it through the short video on the home page. To find ideas, select the "BOOKS" link at the top of the page. Choose from several well-known books to find the engineering problem(s) in the book and possible solutions from students.

tag(s): engineering (129), problem solving (233), STEM (297)

CyArk offers an online library of cultural heritage sites using 3D and digital technology. One of their main goals is to provide a resource for saving representations before losing them to the natural progression of time, disasters, or other unknown factors. View offerings by theme or project for 3D images, photographs, and in-depth information about the site. Within the theme link, use the timeline to view by period, or use the dropdown boxes to choose by culture or country. CyArk also includes many lesson plans based on principles used in creating the website.

tag(s): archeology (28), egypt (56), environment (252), erosion (15), graphic design (49), mayans (23), photography (130), romans (52), speech (69), virtual field trips (128)

Don't let the business in the name fool you, this YouTube channel is all about science! Watch videos with the latest news in science, space, and medicine with new content added each week. Scroll through the page to find the latest videos or explore playlists with topics such as Explainers and Psychology. Most videos run less than three minutes in length, making them perfect for a snack-sized bite of science information! If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): animals (294), brain (56), climate change (99), dinosaurs (43), drugs and alcohol (28), earth (184), human body (93), nutrition (140), planets (113), plants (146), scientists (67), space (222), STEM (297), weather (160)

Explore the science behind the world's worst natural disasters. These ten videos are hosted by Dr. Marshall Shepherd of the University of Georgia and The Weather Channel in partnership with NBC Learn and the National Science Foundation. Topics include Wildfires, Volcanoes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, Space Weather, Landslides, Hurricanes, Flash Floods, and Earthquakes. Videos are approximately 5 to 6 minutes in length and include transcripts. Scientists' interviews explain the stunning scenes of nature's havoc. Although part of a larger site that charges for access, these videos are free.
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tag(s): earthquakes (46), floods (10), hurricanes (32), natural disasters (18), scientists (67), tornadoes (14), tsunamis (15), volcanoes (55), weather (160)

SciTech Daily is a digest of the latest science news from around the globe. Information comes from major magazines, international newspapers, and more. Browse through the site by topic or choose links to view the latest or most popular articles. Use the search bar to look for specific information on the site. Subscribe using your email to receive a daily digest of all of the latest site additions.
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tag(s): news (228), newspapers (93)

Discover, create, and share digital resources from the Smithsonian Museum, the National Zoo, and nine major research centers with this visually appealing site. Use the search feature to find digital resources including photos, recordings, videos, and text. Sign up to create your own collections, including those found on the site and your own resources. Also, click Discover and use the search bar to find topics already on the site your class is studying like dinosaurs, explorers, black history, volcanoes, etc. Add annotations and develop quizzes. Easily share your creations or curated collections using social networking links provided. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): animals (294), architecture (75), art history (102), aviation (40), black history (133), civil war (139), dinosaurs (43), explorers (64), images (263), inventors and inventions (80), Learning Management Systems (20), oceans (149), scientists (67), shakespeare (99), Teacher Utilities (198), volcanoes (55)

This collection of free streaming videos, mostly under six minutes, supports school curriculum using material from NBC News, one of the largest news archives in the world. Topics include language arts, humanities and social sciences, and parenting information. The majority of videos feature STEM content. Specific sample topics include: Mysteries of the Brain, Writers Speak to Kids, Science of NFL Football, and many others. All videos include transcripts. Some have lesson plans and/or activities which are available in a side tab in the video window when launched. Most have closed captioning, and a few have a Spanish language option. The majority of NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBC News, is fee-based. This review is for the free material.
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tag(s): brain (56), civil rights (209), news (228), olympics (45), pi (29), sports (82), STEM (297), sustainability (50), video (266)

The U.S. is a leader in robotics technology development! Join the yearly celebration by participating in some of the events and activities found at this National Robotics Week site. Use the activities on this site to inspire students to pursue careers in robotics and other STEM-related fields. Download robot trading cards featuring 10 of the most famous robots. Cards include their stats, coaches, and fun facts. Read about the Instuctables contest where you can enter to share your robot projects with the world and even win some cool prizes. Clicking on Bleaker the Rechargeable Dog will take you to comics that include robots. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find a map showing events by state. Once you get the map, scroll down the page and find the Filter Events By State and a list of all events.

tag(s): engineering (129), robotics (24), STEM (297)

Discover and watch publicly funded radio and television programs from America's past with the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Built as a means to preserve public broadcast programs from the 1940's through the present, over 7000 programs are available for streaming with additions ongoing. In addition to streaming programs, this site also includes curated exhibits on topics of historical significance, such as Climate Change and Voices from the Southern Civil Rights Movement.

tag(s): 1900s (72), earth (184), radio (20), religions (95), sports (82), video (266), women (151), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

Project H has evolved into Girls Garage and offers programs to teach design, creativity, and hands-on building to pre-teen and teen girls. Choose the Programs link to learn about Camp H and Studio H, offered for elementary and secondary students. Each link provides a quick insight into the projects created by students. The ToolBox link provides lectures, videos, lesson plans, and more for implementing building projects in the classroom. Topics include many diverse activities such as a Home Depot Scavenger Hunt and a long span bridge competition.

tag(s): architecture (75), creativity (86), design (79), gifted (66), STEM (297)

Learn something new each day with Highbrow's unique course delivery system. Sign up for a course, then receive an email each day with a five to ten-minute lesson. Each course is completed in ten days making learning quick and easy! Choose from many different course options in subjects such as art, literature, languages, history, tech and coding, photography, and several others. Highbrow only allows one course per user at a time to encourage complete focus on each topic. If you don't see what you like, choose the Create Course option and create your own learning experience using your expertise!

tag(s): 20th century (62), architecture (75), authors (107), business (52), differentiation (84), endangered species (27), equations (119), financial literacy (93), greeks (46), human body (93), inventors and inventions (80), logic (161), medicine (57), mental math (19), numbers (120), photography (130), poetry (193), psychology (65), short stories (18), surrealism (2), weather (160), women (151)

Create a dancing robot and learn code at the same time! Begin by choosing a robot dancer, and then click "Let's Dance!" Edit your robot's dance moves using the toolbars to change the head, arm, and hip movements. If you don't like the music, no problem, choose from four different music genres for your robot. Switch to Code Mode to view and change current settings. When finished, save and share your dance.

tag(s): coding (85), computational thinking (40), computers (109), critical thinking (127), engineering (129), STEM (297)

Getting Hands-On with Soft Circuits is a PDF facilitator's guide containing several activities for teaching soft circuits to middle and high school students. Designed to build on previously learned concepts the first lesson introduces simple circuits and others continue to parallel circuits and microcontrollers. Lessons include full-color images with explanations and all procedures and tips for successful completion of activities. Be sure to go all the way to the end of the guide to find a list of materials used and suggestions for where to purchase items needed.

tag(s): circuits (20), creativity (86), electricity (61), engineering (129), STEM (297)