Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The North Dakota Curriculum Initiative offers this informative site containing many downloadable documents. Use these documents when implementing and planning ELA (English/Language Arts) and Math Common Core Standards in all grades. Choose from grade level links to begin browsing available content. Choose from lists of standards, lesson and unit plans, pacing calendars, and much more.

tag(s): commoncore (73), professional development (385)

Discover a collection of resources for the teaching and learning of fractions, decimals, and percentages. These resources will work on your interactive whiteboard, most tablets, iPad, or a regular computer! This site does seem ideal for BYOD classrooms, but they do mention that some of the activities run slow on a standard Android browser. An app (non Internet) version will be available soon for a small fee. This review is for the free portion of the site. At the time of this review, there were 15 free resources to explore. Some sample topics include Fraction Bars, Decimal Compare, Percent to Fraction, Decimal Lines, and more. Some activities require flash which is not supported on all browsers.
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tag(s): decimals (85), fractions (160)

Remember playing Spirograph as a kid? Now you can create and play online with Inspirograph! Choose from fixed and rotating gears, and then change the size of the gears. Change the background and pen colors using the toolbar. Click on the + sign to personalize colors. Be sure to view the gallery of saved designs for lots of inspiration when beginning. Click the download icon to save images to your computer.

tag(s): angles (52), critical thinking (127), gifted (66), problem solving (233)

The Mathematics Center is an excellent site full of mathematics teaching resources aligned to Common Core Standards. Choose options from the menu on the home page such as lessons, videos, applets, and Common Core resources. Links lead to offerings sorted by grade level and topic. Most content is available for easy download in PDF format. Be sure to check out the parent guides available in both English and Spanish.

tag(s): area (53), decimals (85), division (98), equations (119), exponents (35), fractions (160), functions (52), numbers (120), perimeter (20), quadratics (27), rounding (8), subtraction (110), video (266)

The Annenberg Learner Foundation's goal is to advance excellent teaching in American schools. Annenberg Learner's multimedia resources help teachers increase their expertise in their fields and improve teaching methods in all grade levels in all subjects. There are video resources for all subject areas. Find lesson plans for all subjects by grade level. A variety of interactives accompany lessons or can also stand alone. Follow the monthly updates and blogs for the latest information.
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tag(s): art history (103), butterflies (13), conversions (37), critical thinking (127), dna (43), earth (184), environment (252), geometric shapes (135), immigrants (34), medieval (32), native americans (109), patterns (61), periodic table (46), renaissance (38), rocks (35), russia (36), south africa (13), spelling (98), statistics (121), volcanoes (55), weather (160)

New Zealand Maths provides a large number of teaching and professional development resources in mathematics. Choose a topics such as Number & Algebra or Problem Solving to view activities sorted by levels 1-6. These levels correspond approximately to US Grades K-12. Select Early Childhood Education to browse resources for PreK/K students. Also check out the sections for parents and professional development that contain many helpful ideas for any education setting. The site was created in New Zealand, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): geometric shapes (135), number sense (69), numbers (120), preK (271), problem solving (233), professional development (385), spreadsheets (23), statistics (121)

This fabulous UK site offers many resources for math practice and instruction. Choose the Videos and Worksheets section to find a large list of topics sorted alphabetically including instructional videos and practice questions. Many also include corresponding textbook exercises. Choose 5-a-day to find another large selection of printables for daily review, choose from three different levels for each date. (U.S. users will need to "translate" the 5-a-day letter equivalents to find approximate grade levels; count backwards from grade 12 being "A.") Conundrums for each day of the year provide short, daily brainteasers ready to print and use. Don't miss the Great Maths Bakeoff, a terrific idea for Pi Day! This site was created in the UK. American English speakers will notice slight spelling differences and use of English currency. There is also mention of Key Stages 3, 4, and 5. In America, these stages equate to Ages 11-14 (Stage 3), Ages 14-16 (Stage 4), and Ages 16-18 (Stage 5). Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): addition (129), angles (52), charts and graphs (171), coordinates (15), decimals (85), division (98), equations (119), estimation (33), fractions (160), geometric shapes (135), inequalities (25), mean (19), measurement (122), median (16), mode (13), multiplication (122), probability (99), problem solving (233), pythagorean theorem (19), quadratics (27), sequences (12), square roots (15), subtraction (110), time (91), transformations (12), volume (34)

Join a journey to eleven countries and three continents as part of a global STEM learning adventure aligned to Next Gen and Common Core Reading standards. The site navigation itself takes a little "exploration," but the time is well worth it. Learn about locations around the world as you explore science and technology at each stop along the way. Learn about the captain and crew under Flight Briefing. Follow the clickable flight route under Flight Tracker. Take a flight tutorial at Fly with Us (under Flight Briefings). Explore videos on the Blog and under Flight Briefings. Watch the intro video on the home page. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): aircraft (16), animals (295), architecture (75), ecosystems (83), endangered species (27), flight (34), oceans (149), STEM (297), volcanoes (55), weather (160)

Find many resources for using pattern blocks at this site. Choose from many different pattern block templates sorted by categories such as holidays, vehicles, and alphabet. Click any template to view the PDF for instant printing. When printing, do NOT "scale to fit page." Be sure to print at 100% or the actual size. The site is designed for use with standard pattern block pieces. However, if you don't have any, no worries! Select the Printable Blocks link for many print-and-cut options to use.

tag(s): geometric shapes (135), manipulatives (9), patterns (61), problem solving (233)

Solve My Math offers a wide selection of math calculators, games, and information for all different levels of math. Use the drop down box to choose a math category such as general math or complex numbers and trig. Some calculators offer only a solution while others show step by step ways to obtaining answers. Choose Math Courses for a basic overview of math content sorted by topic. The Math Games section offers games for learning basic math skills. Spend time exploring how the site is organized so you can avoid clicking the ads!
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tag(s): addition (129), calculators (36), charts and graphs (171), decimals (85), division (98), fractions (160), numbers (120), probability (99), statistics (121), subtraction (110)

Visit Cool Kid Facts to find information for just about anything in this world or even out of this world! Select from Geography, History, Science, Animals, and Human Body. There are also topics in the right menu on the home page that range from Albert Einstein to Volcanoes and nearly everything else you can think of (alphabetically) in between. There are articles, videos, pictures, and quizzes, too. The videos are from various outside sources and are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): animals (295), australia (28), brain (56), china (81), deserts (16), earth (184), egypt (56), greek (47), heart (27), human body (93), italy (30), magnetism (36), mars (26), mexico (37), moon (73), newton (21), photosynthesis (21), rainforests (18), rome (37), sun (71), tornadoes (14), tsunamis (15), volcanoes (55)

Beyond Traditional Math is an interesting blog written by a fourth-grade teacher who was "appalled to be handed a math book in which all instruction was whole group." This inspired her mission to move beyond the traditional classroom model for teaching math. Informative articles discuss building strong classroom cultures through standards, writing clear learning targets, and discussions on classroom activities. Explore this blog to find many lesson ideas along with practical classroom tips for use throughout the year. The ideas are adaptable across several grade levels. Click on tags at the bottom of each blog post to find archives of posts about similar topics.
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tag(s): problem solving (233)

Find challenging and fun group or individual math problems at this resource created for use in math competitions for 7th through 10th grade. This site offers previous problems for four different activity formats: quiz bowl, relay race, individual test, and team challenge. Choose the PDF for each activity to view past problems and responses.

tag(s): competitions (10), mental math (19)

This Mathematics Library is a collaborative, open access library of math textbooks for higher level math. The wiki is constantly updated by university faculty and students to offer an ever-growing resource. Its purpose is to be a supplement to traditional textbooks. Choose the "Mathematics" icon to begin. Choose from several categories such as Algebra or Geometry to continue. Narrow choices within each group to find information by topic. When looking for specific content, use the search bar to find all relevant information. Some content areas contain more information than others.

tag(s): equations (119), probability (99), problem solving (233), statistics (121), STEM (297), wikis (14)

Math Fact Cafe is a free math worksheet generator for grades K-5. Choose from pre-made worksheets or use the custom worksheet generator to create your own worksheets. To customize your worksheets, choose from options including the range of numbers, degree of difficulty, and name and date. Topics include basic facts, money, time, and word problems. In addition to worksheets, Math Fact Cafe offers three online games featuring problem solving and trivia skills.
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tag(s): addition (129), counting (60), division (98), money (113), multiplication (122), preK (271), problem solving (233), subtraction (110), time (91), worksheets (69)

Just as the name implies, Nick's Mathematical Puzzles is a collection of puzzles. The collection is an oldie but goodie. Each puzzle includes hints, full solutions, and links to related mathematical topics. Scroll through the 10 puzzles available on each of the sixteen pages or view the index to choose puzzles by name. Topics include geometry, probability, number theory, algebra, calculus, trigonometry, and logic. Use the number of stars to determine the difficulty level - 1 star is the easiest on up to 4 stars being most difficult.

tag(s): geometric shapes (135), logic (161), problem solving (233), puzzles (149)

Bring music into your math lessons! Appeal to your auditory learners with short samples of math Songs for Learning. Choose from three different CD titles to view song titles with links to download a small portion of each song. Download in wma, mp3, or Realaudio format. Titles cover a range of math topics from number lines through the Pythagorean Theorem. Although the CDs are for sale, you can listen to the snippets for free.
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tag(s): decimals (85), exponents (35), integers (21), mean (19), number lines (33), operations (72), percent (59), prime numbers (26), probability (99), pythagorean theorem (19), roman numerals (7)

Prodigy offers engaging interactives for seven to twelve-year-olds to practice their math! Use the anime-style avatars to travel the world and meet wizards and confront challenges. As math skills improve, your characters earn new spells that can be used only when math proficiencies are strengthened and expanded. The activities will differentiate, assigning and reviewing new math skills. Track your success and get help in areas where you are struggling. Some of the instruction videos (for parents and teachers) are hosted on YouTube. If your school blocks YouTube, you may want to familiarize yourself with this site at home.

tag(s): addition (129), division (98), fractions (160), game based learning (205), number sense (69), numbers (120), subtraction (110)

Dandy Candies provides open-ended practice and exploration with problem solving and measurement skills, grouped into three "Acts." View a short animated video exploring different options for packaging candy. Then solve four questions about the best way to pack candy. Act Three offers solutions along with a link to all packaging options. Click on the Prologue to view links to standards. Be sure to click on Teacher Notes to view more information on the different steps.

tag(s): area (53), measurement (122), perimeter (20), problem solving (233), volume (34)

Learningpod offers a large database of free practice test questions. Find free Common Core aligned question sets in English Language Arts and Math for grades 2-8. There are practice sets for standardized tests. Search the database of over 49,000 practice questions. Questions are in "pods" containing 2-12 questions on each of the individual topics. Use your email to create a free account. Assign and share with students by embed code, link, or print in PDF format. Answer keys and explanations are easy to access. Keep track of progress through your account, and view summaries of your results on each pod. View comparisons to how other members fared with the same content.

tag(s): advanced placement (26), test prep (69)