Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Climb the icy path of Everest's most popular route as you experience this journey from the mountain base up to the summit. Scroll up to discover the height of Everest compared to familiar buildings. Learn about animals found on the way up to the summit, read fast facts, and listen to an audio of those who have made this strenuous climb. Read the related news story and learn how climbs will now be different from those in the past.

tag(s): field trips (8), mountains (10), virtual field trips (128)

Langscape is an interactive map of almost 7000 languages from around the world. The site offers three main features: an interactive map, a text identification tool, and a language familiarization game. Click on a map location to view a pop-up box with the name or names of languages spoken and location by longitude and latitude. Click on the name of the language to find basic data (underneath the map) about the language and its speakers. Underneath the map, find icons to learn more about the language, choose the music-note to listen to MP3 recordings of the language. The page icon leads to other Internet resources for learning about the language chosen. Be sure to drop down the Discover link at the top of the page to find the K-12 educators guide, a complete guide on how to use the site as well as lessons linked to Social Studies Standards.

tag(s): arabic (13), chinese (45), cultures (180), french (75), german (49), greek (47), hebrew (16), italian (31), landforms (39), latin (23), map skills (63), maps (220), phrases (6), portuguese (22), russian (26), spanish (109)

TopoView uses topographic maps to view physical and cultural changes of geographic locations over time. This tool uses maps created since 1879, allowing you to choose a location and move the slider bar to show maps available from 1879 through the present. There is a learning curve to understand and use the site. Be sure to watch the YouTube video demo for an overview of using and understanding map tools. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable.

tag(s): maps (220), population (51), timelines (56)

Journey across America as described in 12 great literary road trips. This Google map includes every named place (over 1500!) in these books about cross country travel. The earliest book being Mark Twain's Roughing It and the most recent is Cheryl Strayed's Wild. Click on any title on the map key to view individual routes. Click again on the map points to read passages about the location.

tag(s): authors (107), literature (221), maps (220), mark twain (8), setting (5)

Can't take a field trip to Pompeii? Use this virtual field trip that includes photos and 360-degree views of this ancient Roman City. Click on slides at the bottom of the page to see different areas of the ruins such as the Temple of Isis and street views of the entire archeological area.

tag(s): romans (52), virtual field trips (128), volcanoes (55)

Understand battle tactics from the stone age through modern times with hands-on gameplay with Junior General. Use printables from the site to create paper troops, and then choose from different rules and scenarios to recreate a battle. Be sure to take advantage of the many articles offering tips and advice for using and modifying resources found on the site.

tag(s): battles (18), korea (21), vietnam (38), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

Global Post is a digital news site covering world events. It was the home-base of reporter James Foley who was held prisoner for almost two years by the Islamic State in Syria. Scroll through the home page to find breaking news, latest articles, and editor's picks. Find specific topics and trending news using the menu bar on the site. Preview topics before sharing with students.
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tag(s): journalism (74), newspapers (93)

Learn about the complex and changing borders and demographics of the Middle East through the view of 40 different maps. The maps offer a look at the region from many perspectives such as religion, Arabic dialects, and Oil and Gas in the Middle East. Click any map to view the larger image. All maps also include a short explanation of the contents and many include links to additional information. A few maps are presented via video on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): iran (8), iraq (26), israel (14), maps (220), middle east (50), religions (95)

Bring the world to your classroom with this excellent list of virtual field trips. At the time of this review, there were nearly 40 field trips available! Take a trip to the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, or Rome. Choose any of the titles to visit the home site for the virtual field trip. Some of the titles have several virtual tours listed, i.e. 7 Wonders Panorama. Share any link via social media, email, or by using the code to embed in a website or blog.

tag(s): africa (148), cultures (180), museums (52), rome (37), virtual field trips (128), white house (16)

Patch is an online newspaper created to provide local information to its readers. By default, readers see top news for the USA including trending information, business news, and arts and entertainment. Personalize your feed by entering your zip code or city. Share your story or photos by clicking on "Post on Patch" and following the instructions. Create an account to share your story and photos. Commenting on articles does not require an account. Comments are public, so be sure to check articles before sharing.
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tag(s): news (228), newspapers (93)

Discover New York City's rich historical past with this collection of photographs from the 1870's through the 1970's. View photos placed according to location using Google Maps. Scroll through popular photos or explore the map to find images from around all of New York City.

tag(s): 1900s (72), 20th century (62), images (263), new york (24), photography (130)

Explore nearly 50 maps created over the past 80 years of publication of Canadian Geographic Maps. Browse through themes such as Exploration, Conflict and Borders, People, Wildlife, and more. Choose Cartography 101 to find explanations of mapping techniques and technologies, and learn more about map making. Be sure to explore the Learning section to find several interesting lesson plans based on topics such as natural disasters and wildlife in an urban world. The lessons can be downloaded in Word or PDF formats.

tag(s): animal homes (57), canada (24), disasters (37), explorers (64), maps (220)

The American Civil War was one of the first major conflicts for which we have a photographic record. For the 150th anniversary of the war, photographer David Levene traveled to the sites of 23 iconic Civil War photographs and captured the same view as it exists today. Using a simple slider button, shift watch as the scene transforms from the past to the present. Along with each photograph is a brief narrative, and an audio interview related to the scene with more detail about the changes over the last 150 years. Don't forget to click on the associated article for important background information from Levene about the project and his reflections on what he learned.
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tag(s): battles (18), civil war (139), photography (130)

Google Maps Book Mash-up chronicles some of the greatest and most popular stories of English Literature and their settings. Click on any book icon to see the book, author, and the setting. Type in the name of any location to zoom in on the map and find books using that location as the setting. Participate on the site by submitting book information to be included on the map.

tag(s): book lists (167), literature (221), maps (220)

Just the facts and lots of them! The World Bank offers an extensive array of data about the countries of the world. Sort either by country (from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe) or by topic (agriculture to urban development). Look at zoomable, color-coded maps, and analyze rankings by topic. The interface is simple and direct, so if you are just looking for a statistic, you will find it quickly and easily. If you are looking at masses of authentic data to analyze or compare, you'll find that too. Click to download data in several formats.

tag(s): agriculture (49), atlas (5), climate change (99), data (151), energy (133), environment (252), infographics (56), map skills (63), maps (220), natural resources (37), resources (83), united nations (6)

Jump onto your computer and start your road trip! Choose a destination, and start planning the Hotels, Attractions, Natural Wonders, and Weird Stuff for your trip. Plan your trip by entering the starting address and the final destination. Instantly discover the journey's duration, the amount of money needed for gas, and the mileage. Choose the dates you will travel and save your trip. Print your plans, email them to yourself or others, or access your trip plans on the app. Plan several trips and save them in your account. Not sure where you want to go? Discover interesting areas by viewing the stories posted on Roadtrippers. Be sure to preview what you will show students as not all journals are kid friendly.
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tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), field trips (8), virtual field trips (128)

Find an answer to your question or great question starters for any conversation here with this free tool! Featured under the Resource tab, you can access articles, books, case studies, lesson plans, Kahoot, videos, downloads, and events. The site caters to students in preschool through grade 12. When signing up for free, you gain access to more content on the site.

tag(s): animals (294), climate change (99), immigration (68), musical instruments (52), racism (79), timelines (56)

View the ever-changing borders of European countries through this time-lapse video. Beginning in 1141 with the domination of the Holy Roman and Byzantine Empires, watch borders change year by year until reaching Europe of 2012. This video provides an exciting, dynamic look at changes in Europe throughout the years.
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tag(s): england (50), europe (84), france (41), germany (28), italy (30), maps (220), russia (36), spain (13), video (266)

Learn where in the world cities are with Quizzity. Click the start button and a city and country will appear at the top. Zoom in on an area by clicking on the plus symbol. Once you have clicked on an area, two tabs will appear. The brown tab is where you placed the marker and the green one is where the city actually is located. Get six locations and see how well you know the cities of the world. No registration is required.

tag(s): cities (17), countries (73), map skills (63)

Looking for videos and resources that peer into Global Issues? Start with this resource! Click the Video Bank to view resources by themes: conflict, power, human rights, social structures, migrations, economic systems, factors of production, or political systems. Also, view the video bank by location in the world. Videos in each theme are up to several minutes in length and are clips of larger videos. Click on the video of choice, to view the video on a larger screen, see the guiding questions, read the background essay and transcript, and find related links. Text can easily be printed using the print function along the bottom. Videos are easily downloaded, with directions for both PC and Mac users. View the country and region map along the left side along with the accompanying lesson plan. Additionally, click on Lesson Plans instead to display the following for each global issue: overview, learning objectives and standards, media components (with links), and materials. Be sure to note the Prep for Teachers along the bottom of each lesson plan.
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tag(s): cross cultural understanding (173), cultures (180), maps (220)