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TeachersFirst Brain Twister - TeachersFirst
Grades
3 to 9
These ten question quizzes, written by Thinking Teachers, are changed each Friday and are ready to go with one edition for middle school students and one for elementary students. The...more
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These ten question quizzes, written by Thinking Teachers, are changed each Friday and are ready to go with one edition for middle school students and one for elementary students. The quiz presents ten questions, one at a time. You have only ONE try to pick the correct answer, so think carefully. You get points for each correct answer, totaling up to a possible 100. When you finish, you see your score and how long you spent. Questions are intended to stretch your thinking. Printable versions are available along with answers to the previous week's Twister. A new version of the Twister is mobile-friendly and adjusts to any screen size. Take the Twister with you wherever you go!
In the Classroom
Since elementary and middle school curriculum content varies from location to location, it is unlikely that every question will fall within the scope of your school's curriculum. High point questions may fall outside standard classroom fare. Five-point questions tend to be at the knowledge/comprehension/application level of Bloom's taxonomy and closer to "normal" content. Ten pointers are more likely cross-curricular application/analysis, and twenty pointers require analytical thinking and a wider experience level, such as knowledge of current events or information beyond normal curricula. Twenty pointers may require more than one student's input.Do the questions as a whole-class activity with a projector or interactive whiteboard with students contributing the portions of knowledge they do know toward solving the question. Using teamwork and thinking aloud can often help the group reach a conclusion that no single member could do on his/her own. They can each test different math answers to see which one is correct. This process will not only foster thinking aloud and group communication, but also model test-taking skills for multiple choice.
Alternatively, do the Twister in small groups, with one student an answer entry but others as researchers on neighboring computers to find out what the group does not know. It may be helpful to assign roles: moderator (assigns what to find out and helps the group reach consensus), keyboarder (enters responses, may conduct research in a new window), or researchers (find information as assigned). Use the Twisters to model and teach information literacy skills in a high-motivation activity. Or offer the Twisters as an enrichment challenge or extra credit option for students to do at home. Ask parents to be on the honor system to sign a note indicating the score their child achieved. Since parents may be overly interested in helping, you may want to simply give extra credit for anyone completing the quiz, no matter the score. Be sure to mark this ready to go exclusive in your favorites and share it on your teacher class web page.
Writer's Workshop Introduction - Teachersfirst
Grades
1 to 6Good writing skills are essential for secondary students. Writer's Workshop is an interdisciplinary writing technique which can build elementary students' fluency in writing through...more
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Good writing skills are essential for secondary students. Writer's Workshop is an interdisciplinary writing technique which can build elementary students' fluency in writing through continuous, repeated exposure to the process of writing. Teachers can introduce elements of Writer's Workshop at any elementary grade. Ideally, however, the process begins in Kindergarten.
tag(s): writing (325)
In the Classroom
Teachers can use this introduction to introduce Writer's Workshop elements in a variety of curriculum situations and classroom settings.Plagiarism Checker - Darren Horn
Grades
6 to 12This site allows users to check a document or web page for evidence of plagiarism for free. Type or copy/paste text from parts of the document or website and click ...more
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This site allows users to check a document or web page for evidence of plagiarism for free. Type or copy/paste text from parts of the document or website and click search. Of course, you will need electronic copies of student work to easily copy/paste! Plagiarism Checker provides links to web-based text similar to that being searched. Note that this tool does not check against print material, such as books. It searches only the web for similar passages.
tag(s): plagiarism (34)
In the Classroom
Students can use this plagiarism checker to be sure they are turning in original work. Teachers can use this service to check the work of students (submitted electronically). Students should create accounts with their parents to check their work at home. Model this site to explain what plagiarism IS and how students can avoid it. The hands-on experience will help them understand this challenging concept. You might even want to provide several examples of plagiarized writing as an exercise for student to check and correct before they copy/paste their way to trouble in a research assignment. Another interesting exercise for researchers is to locate an article on a how-to topic, such as "How to Paint a Room," then see how many sites use the exact same text. As a class, discuss whether this proliferation is good or bad (is the web spreading misinformation, too?).Project Based Learning for the 21st Century - Buck Institute for Education
Grades
K to 12Looking for more information on Project Based Learning (PBL)? Find videos, information, and examples on this site. Though some material on this site is for sale, there are plenty of...more
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Looking for more information on Project Based Learning (PBL)? Find videos, information, and examples on this site. Though some material on this site is for sale, there are plenty of free materials. Read about PBL, watch videos, or download word or PDF documents found under the Tools section. Sign up to participate in the forum for more interaction with the content and other educators using PBL. Click the PBL Do-It Yourself bar along the right side for more information and links. Be sure to check out the tweets on the bottom of the front page for great ideas and links to use.
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tag(s): assessment (147), Project Based Learning (23), Research (87)
In the Classroom
Use these ideas in any subject area classroom. Aspects of PBL can be used in introductory activities or whole units. Use driving questions to stimulate student curiosity to know more about how curriculum applies to their lives. Use this PBL framework to give students freedom to research aspects of the content or problem of personal interest. Be sure to view the resources to adequately plan for a successful unit project that incorporates 21st century skills utilizing engaging activities and content.
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5 Minute Mystery - Mystery Competition, LLC
Grades
4 to 12This mystery reading game helps increase reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in an innovative way. The basic game is free. You can sign up to have two mysteries a ...more
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This mystery reading game helps increase reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in an innovative way. The basic game is free. You can sign up to have two mysteries a week sent to you, or you can use their archive. There is an indepth "How to Play" section, on the top menu bar, where you can read the instructions. After reading a mystery you select the correct sentences that are clues, and select a character that the clue either exonerates or implicates. Points are awarded for each clue you get correct. You can set up a leaque or several leagues to track students' performance and progress.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): critical thinking (127), mysteries (23), reading comprehension (149), short stories (18)
In the Classroom
Use your projector or interactive whiteboard to show your students the directions for getting points by selecting the correct clues and solving the mystery. To begin with, as a class, read a mystery and discuss what the clues might be and whether they implicate or exonerate each suspect. Once the students have volunteered their ideas for which sentences are clues, submit them to see the score. The program will highlight the answers you should have had, if you got any wrong. Model for your students a discussion about why those are the correct answers and why the ones they submitted weren't. Eventually they can have this discussion by themselves in small groups. Those of you with multiple classes will want to create a league for each class. Eventually you can have small groups of students compete against each other by creating leagues. Have your students come to consensus about the clue sentences and who the real perpetrator is by voting using Tricider, or Vevox.The Interactive Raven - TeachersFirst
Grades
6 to 12Here's TeachersFirst's famous on-line presentation of Poe's classic poem, with notations explaining definitions and literary devices. Roll over words for definitions, literary devices,...more
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Here's TeachersFirst's famous on-line presentation of Poe's classic poem, with notations explaining definitions and literary devices. Roll over words for definitions, literary devices, and more.
In the Classroom
This is a great on-line independent study for students who need additional help with either vocabulary or poetic devices. Introduce the site on your projector (rollovers will not work on an interactive whiteboard), then have students work alone or with a partner to become acquainted with the full text of Poe's masterpiece, accessing definitions and literary devices on their own. Augment classroom technology use and challenge students to create their own dramatic readings of the poem using a tool such as podOmatic, reviewed here, or accompany their reading with illustrations using ePubEditor, reviewed here, where your can upload images and text and add audio.Carol after Edgar Allen Poe - J.H. McNulty
Grades
8 to 12Tie together two well-known 19th Century masterworks with this adaptation of A Christmas Carol set to the meter and rhyme of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." This creative twist on ...more
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Tie together two well-known 19th Century masterworks with this adaptation of A Christmas Carol set to the meter and rhyme of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." This creative twist on Dickens holiday tale can serve as a summarization of the novel for your students, or as a springboard to a creative writing activity on Victorian poets and novelists. Composed by J. H. McNulty.
In the Classroom
Use this resource as a tool during a unit about the Christmas Carol or as part of creative writing unit. Gifted students will especially enjoy the combination of two works into an original. Have them try their own, perhaps more contemporary combination of style from one work with substance from another for a creative synthesis extraordinaire.Dickens and Christmas - David Perdue
Grades
7 to 12Charles Dickens had a profound influence on the way we celebrate Christmas today. This informative site details the revival of Christmas during Victorian times, draws connections to...more
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Charles Dickens had a profound influence on the way we celebrate Christmas today. This informative site details the revival of Christmas during Victorian times, draws connections to many Dickens' novels, and explains several significant themes evident in A Christmas Carol.
In the Classroom
Use this website as a tool during a unit on Christmas or Charles Dickens. Divide students into small groups or pairs to read the information on this page. The text might be challenging for some students. Pair weak readers with a strong reader. Exchange paper and pencil and instruct students to use Webnote, reviewed here to take online "sticky notes" for the important information they learn. If some of the passages are difficult, even for the strong reader, have them use Rewordify, to replace the difficult text shown with easier to understand words. Be sure to tell students to use Webnote (mentioned above) to make a sticky for the difficult word or phrase and its definition, or easier wording. Allow ESL/ELL students to try using Text to Speech Reader, which will allow these students to follow the highlighted text as the article or passage is read to them. Redefine learning and challenge students to create a multimedia presentation around a theme from Dickens using one of the TeachersFirst Edge tools. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Canva Infographic, Lucidpress, Powtoon, and MoocNote.Video: Social Media - Common Craft
Grades
K to 12What is social media? This video takes you on a journey to "Scoopville," a fictitious town used to demonstrate the many "flavors" of social media. The video is short (3:25-minutes)...more
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What is social media? This video takes you on a journey to "Scoopville," a fictitious town used to demonstrate the many "flavors" of social media. The video is short (3:25-minutes) and very easy to follow. Highlighted are blogs, podcasts, and videos. This site requires you to be a paying member to embed or download the video. However, you can still see the transcript for the video. Despite a paid membership model, Common Craft still offers this video for free. If you wish to share this with a group, they will need to view it on individual/partner computers (or IOS devices) or on a projector that has a zoom function to enlarge a selected area of the screen.
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tag(s): blogs (65), podcasts (108), social media (48), video (266)
In the Classroom
If you are looking to learn more about various social media, check out this short video. Learn more about the "flavors" you could use in your own classoom. For research projects have students create a blog, wiki, or even a podcast and compare the pros/cons of each regarding communication and safety. Create podcasts using a tool such as podOmatic, explained here. If you use "centers" in your classroom, put the video on a "center" computer, do a "right click" on the video, select "save as" and save to the "center" computer.Harry Potter's Page - Scholastic Books
Grades
4 to 12Harry Potter's all the rage, and the web doesn't disappoint. There are lots of resources about Harry and author J.K. Rowling. Scholatic Books has an entire Harry Potter site. It ...more
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Harry Potter's all the rage, and the web doesn't disappoint. There are lots of resources about Harry and author J.K. Rowling. Scholatic Books has an entire Harry Potter site. It features information on the books, discussion and author sections, even a Harry Potter screensaver.
tag(s): harry potter (9)
In the Classroom
See even more Harry Potter resources at Pottermore, reviewed here.Jackie French Koller - Privately Published
Grades
1 to 8This is the homepage of Jackie French Koller, author of children and young adult books. Developed by Jackie French Koller as her homepage, there is a great deal of information ...more
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This is the homepage of Jackie French Koller, author of children and young adult books. Developed by Jackie French Koller as her homepage, there is a great deal of information about the author, her family, pets, hobbies as well as her books. This site includes a link to writing tips for would be authors. There are links to a few other authors as well.
tag(s): book lists (167), french (75)
In the Classroom
Use the menu bar on the left of the page and explore the Teachers Pages to find books with excerpts and activity pages. Also, look at the tab labeled Freebies and find free downloadable books!First Grade Backpack - Reading - Privately Published
Grades
1 to 2Here's a selection of book and author sites compiled expressly for primary students. They provide quick access to a group of reading resources for first or second grade. Some can ...more
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Here's a selection of book and author sites compiled expressly for primary students. They provide quick access to a group of reading resources for first or second grade. Some can be used by students directly; others may require some help from the teacher or parent.
tag(s): reading lists (77)
In the Classroom
Be sure to explore the diffrent links on this site. This site also contains arithmetic, animal, and geography sections.Enchanted Tulips and other verses for children - Victorian Women Writers Project
Grades
3 to 6A collection of poetry. ...more
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A collection of poetry.
tag(s): poetry (193)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for students during a unit on poetry. This could be a great tool for students searching for a poem to fit their needs, whether it be for a recitation activity, report, or analysis. Using a broader search engine allows them more options than would a printed anthology within the classroom.Doucette Library of Teaching Resources - University of Calgary
Grades
2 to 6Extensive collection of literary lists, award winners, curriculum supplements and support resources for children's literature. Also educational research is available in a thesis collection...more
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Extensive collection of literary lists, award winners, curriculum supplements and support resources for children's literature. Also educational research is available in a thesis collection of research by masters and doctoral candidates.
tag(s): literature (222)
In the Classroom
Use the resources part of the page to find information on literature that can be used in your classroom. Some of the resources there recommend books by age and subject, and can serve as great book lists for the teacher wanting something more.The Children's Book Council
Grades
1 to 6The Children's Book Council sponsors Children's Book Week each fall. Their site includes this Showcase collection of books recommended for children, with links and additional information...more
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The Children's Book Council sponsors Children's Book Week each fall. Their site includes this Showcase collection of books recommended for children, with links and additional information on each book selected. A good starting point for building a reading list or library.
tag(s): reading lists (77)
In the Classroom
Use the book lists on this site for recommendations to parents who want suggestions on outside or summer readings. The lists are separated by age, gender and all kinds of category's - making it easier for parents to find what they need.Webquest 101 - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12Newly revised, TeachersFirst's extensive tutorial explains what a webquest is, why it can be useful in the classroom, and how to create your own webquest on a topic of your ...more
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Newly revised, TeachersFirst's extensive tutorial explains what a webquest is, why it can be useful in the classroom, and how to create your own webquest on a topic of your choosing. Don't miss the section on url detective work and evaluating which sites are best for your students. Fid handy ways to collect resources for webquests and hints for checking reading levels and more. There are lots of examples, tool suggestions, and links to our ever-growing collection of sample webquests.
In the Classroom
Mark this in your Favorites as a professional reference. You may even want to assign students to create their own webquests following these guidelines. If you mentor new teachers, share this resource when they are designing their first web-based projects.Shakespearean Feast - TeachersFirst
Grades
9 to 12Eat your way to a new understanding of Shakespeare with this activity which lets students learn about Elizabethan customs by sampling the food the Elizabethans ate. The site provides...more
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Eat your way to a new understanding of Shakespeare with this activity which lets students learn about Elizabethan customs by sampling the food the Elizabethans ate. The site provides lots of recipe ideas, as well as presentation strategies.
tag(s): elizabethan (13), shakespeare (99)
In the Classroom
Use the recipes on this site to host a Shakespearean feast in your own classroom. Have students partner up to prepare the dishes at home, or coordinate with your family and consumer sciences faculty to try an in-class demonstration.Select and Speak - Google Chrome
Grades
1 to 12Select and Speak (formerly (Speakit) is an easy to install, free program that converts written text on web pages into spoken words within the Chrome web browser. At the time ...more
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Select and Speak (formerly (Speakit) is an easy to install, free program that converts written text on web pages into spoken words within the Chrome web browser. At the time of this review, it works exclusively on Google Chrome. You can use this extension in many different languages. All you do is highlight the text, and it reads it aloud. The tool works only on website text, not documents, etc. This extension uses text to speech service and might not be accessible to those whose computers prevent download/installation of software. There are some errors in the program they are still fixing.
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tag(s): listening (93), text to speech (20)
In the Classroom
Use Select and Speak as your teacher's helper. Be sure to test it out on classroom computers and devices before using it with students. During research or computer explorations, allow students to use this read aloud feature. Honor the students who heavily rely on hearing as their preferred form of comprehending material. In lower grades, research on computers now becomes an easier task. This extension is perfect for ENL/ELL or learning support students to help with vocabulary development, comprehension, fluency, and repetitions.Einstein's Secret to Amazing Problem Solving - Mr. Wach
Grades
6 to 12This site offers an excellent guide to problem solving with 10 definitive strategies that anyone can use for any type of problem. The article is easy to read and language ...more
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This site offers an excellent guide to problem solving with 10 definitive strategies that anyone can use for any type of problem. The article is easy to read and language is suitable for middle through high school level students. Included within the article are several links to further information on the problem solving process.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): critical thinking (127), logic (161), problem solving (233)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students help create a bulletin board display outlining the problem solving steps. Ask students to create journal entries describing how they used the steps in the problem solving process. Some of your visual students may even want to draw a map of the path they follow to solve problems or make an infographic of the process steps. Share this site with other teachers in all subject areas since this process applies to any type of problem.Brainyquote - Brainymedia
Grades
5 to 12Browse one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Sites to quickly find and display famous quotes by topics, keywords, authors, and even author types, such as poets, musicians, lawyers,...more
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Browse one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Sites to quickly find and display famous quotes by topics, keywords, authors, and even author types, such as poets, musicians, lawyers, or politicians. A quote of the day and a trivia game are also included. BrainyQuote is a free service that supports itself by revenue generated from a few advertisements on the site. However, they are not intrusive, and they are easy to ignore.
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tag(s): authors (107), themes (16), writing (325), writing prompts (61)