Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Find a wealth of resources for using drama in the ENL/ELL classroom. The same activities can also be useful for other subjects. The improvisation resources are especially exciting, offering definitions, examples of activities, links, and visual examples of how you can use improvisational techniques. In addition, information and activities on using plays, process drama, and reader's theater for language teaching abound. Use play writing for another aspect of language teaching. There is a complete curriculum for offering an independent class in drama for ENL/ELL students. Although this site may appear plain vanilla, there are sprinkles throughout, making this tool very valuable and informative.

tag(s): acting (19), creative writing (124), plays (32)

Let's Play Math! is a blog by a homeschooling mom that shares resources, ideas, and an excitement for teaching mathematics to all students. Find popular posts on the right-hand toolbar or browse by topic tag. Topics with the most entries are highlighted and in a larger font making them easier to find. Search within the blog using the search box included. You may also want to check out the link to the Best of the Blog. This includes some of the author's favorite posts sorted by subject and includes favorite games, puzzles, activities, and more. Although this blog was designed by a homeschooling parent, the information is useful in any math classroom setting.
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tag(s): mental math (19), preK (270), puzzles (149)

Handspeak is an online American Sign Language dictionary and tutorial resource. Find literature in American Sign Language as well as research, kid talk, finger spelling, video clips, and news. Stay current with the ASL word of the Day and the Phrase of the week. Jump into the different leveled lessons to learn manners, greetings, and numbers.
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tag(s): communication (129), sign language (10)

Looking for resources to use on your interactive whiteboard? If so, this site is a tremendous resource for all whiteboard users, not just those with a Promethean Board. View, search, and download from over 60,000 resources in all subject areas and grade levels. Use the Resources tab to search by state standard, content, grade level, or resource type. Register on the site to enable download ability as well as many other features such as saving favorites, reviewing resources, asking questions on the technical forum, following specific users, and uploading your own resources. Each resource includes a short description, grade level recommendation, file format, and size. Another great feature is the slide show included with each download for previewing different pages used on each chart.

tag(s): iwb (31), numbers (120), preK (270), resources (83)

Find endless mathematical quotations. Search the site by keyword, browse by first letter of the authors' last names, or follow a link to receive a random quote. Download the entire collection (83 pages) using the link on the home page.

tag(s): probability (99), quotations (19), statistics (121)

This project "spreads scientific knowledge and philosophy through musical remixes." Audio and video snippets of television programs that feature popular scientists and educators are used to explain phenomena and theories. The audio and video mashups are set to music. Be sure to check out two of the popular videos: "A Glorious Dawn" and "We are All Connected" to encourage discussion of the topics and themes being "discussed." Some topics may have offer a distinct side of a multi-faceted issue, but the videos will engage you and really get you thinking.
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tag(s): atoms (43), ecology (103), life cycles (21), matter (45), space (222), video (266)

Find your way to the "home of the best science demonstrations on the web." Included are videos, interviews about chemistry, physics, and science and "Extras." Find videos such Walking on Water, The Heisenberg Uncertainty, The Sweat Episode, The Bernoulli Effect, Inertia, Pendulums, Protein Folding and many others. Interviews with scientists give a clearer explanation of scientific concepts. If interested, subscribe by rss feed, email, or iTunes. Videos are mp4 files, so you may need to load a plug-in or "allow" your browser to play them.

tag(s): electricity (61), light (56), matter (45), motion (47), newton (21), optics (11), scientific method (48), waves (14), weather (160)

Do Lectures are like TED Talk videos, inspiring talks from people who are changing the world. Choose to view talks about Big Ideas, Challenging Talks, Funny Talks, Informative Talks, Inspiring Talks, and Soulful Talks. Some examples of titles are Why Going Down Mountains is Harder than Going Up and Why is Beauty Such an Important Word? Search by topic (business, creativity, environment, food, sport, technology, or well-being) or by speaker. Learn more about lecturers by clicking the link to their bio, or find similar videos with the links included with each talk. Share videos easily on social networking sites with buttons included with each talk, or use the embed code to embed talks into your blog or website. Even more simply, copy/paste the url for the video to share it.

tag(s): business (52), careers (156), creativity (86), debate (42), environment (252), nutrition (140), psychology (65), sociology (23), video (266)

Learn about American Sign Language. Join Dr. Bill Vicars at the American Sign Language University. Find resources and free classes (videos) in American Sign Language. The FREE resources included are a dictionary, numbers, jokes, numbers, wallpaper, fingerspelling art for signs or posters, and lessons. Email is available for questions. Find information for presentations in American Sign Language. There are also workbook pages, practice cards, and quizzes to help guide your learning.
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tag(s): sign language (10)

Danosongs.com provides royalty free music for many different purposes as long as you give credit where it is due: Music by Dan-O at DanoSongs.com. Dan creates music, posts to this blog, and offers it free of charge under a Creative Commons license as long as credit is given. This is a really great trade-off for free music for your presentations, movies, video games, websites, blogs, or even excercise tracks. Possibilities for uses are so broad, you just have to use your imagination to add to this list! There is the option of "buying" the songs for $10 to use without giving credit.
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tag(s): citations (33), copyright (44), podcasts (108), sound (72), sounds (43)

MathFlix is a resource of over 1000 videos sorted by topic. The site also includes over 400 downloadable worksheets that reinforce concepts and provide additional practice. The videos themselves are hosted at many different locations on the web, but this index makes it easy to find them by math topic. Enter the site by choosing either the "I am a teacher" or "I am a student" icon. The teacher link lists topics by standards and content within each standard. Choose from Number & Operations, Algebra, Technology, and more. Each of these links leads to further subcategories listing video titles to view. The student link leads to clickable images or words, including topic and subcategory. Choose one of these links to go directly to the list of videos available for that topic. Be sure not to miss the links at the bottom of the page. They aren't quite as obvious as information for the videos; however, they include additional information relating to Common Core, assessment, and curriculum support.

tag(s): area (53), charts and graphs (171), decimals (85), estimation (33), fractions (160), inequalities (25), logic (161), money (113), numbers (120), patterns (61), percent (59), perimeter (20), polls and surveys (49), probability (99), problem solving (233), statistics (121), symmetry (26), variables (14), whole numbers (9)

Love science? Find ideas, extraordinary information, and experiments on this entertaining site. Listen to the weekly science podcasts and archives that cover a vast array of topics including those that may seem unbelievable. This realistic and scientific site looks at topics like aliens and telepathy as well as ballistics and volcanoes. Find in-depth information explained with scientific clarity, even complex topics, explained in terms that everyone can understand and from multiple perspectives.

tag(s): experiments (55), genetics (80), oceans (149), podcasts (108), volcanoes (55)

Find lesson ideas and more for literature and language arts, foreign languages, art and culture, history and social studies at the reworked site that was once part of MarcoPolo. Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides, book articles, data bases, educational gaming, professional development events, sound, film, video resources, and resource website lists all aid teachers and learners. A calendar keeps you up to date with famous dates in history.

tag(s): art history (102), cultures (180), Juneteenth (22), literacy (122)

Are you interested in numbers? This site has a variety of videos about math theories that are at the forefront of research. Easy, understandable language presents each topic, and this is an entertaining way for anyone to learn fascinating facts about numbers. The Numberphile covers a very broad scope of topics such as Why do people hate mathematics, AMAZING Dice Rolls, and Sounds of PI. Videos vary in length, although most remain well under 15 minutes. Even those who believe they are not good at math will like learning interesting facts about numbers. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable; be sure to look at alternatives for sharing the conversation starters and other videos on classroom computers. Use the search bar to find specific topics faster

tag(s): calculators (36), negative numbers (13), number lines (33), numbers (120), pi (29), prime numbers (26), video (266)

Open Source Shakespeare is not just another ordinary collection of the complete works of William Shakespeare. You can use an advanced search, read the plays, and look up words in the "concordance." It is a comprehensive, free electronic bookshelf built with flexibility, user-friendliness, and powerful search functions that easily enables scholars, casual readers, or Shakespeare lovers to read the plays, poems, and sonnets. At the same time look up terms, phrases, quotations, passages, or search for answers to questions about characters, acts, or scenes in an infinite number of ways. This is an incredibly ambitious online project that provides quick, easy access and enables you to retrieve, store, and print. The simple appearance also makes the site functional on any mobile device, such as iPads, without concerns about Flash or other non-mobile features.

tag(s): literature (221), OER (43), plays (32), shakespeare (99), sonnets (6)

At Scribophile you can share your writing with others. It is self-professed as a community that takes writing seriously and wants to both give and receive feedback on writing. Publish works, read others' work, write critiques of others' work, and interact with other writers. This is a good site for mature, serious writers. Joining is free but necessary to participate fully. The sample blogs given for each day are enlightening and have intelligent ideas presented in thoughtful ways. Within the "Community" section, read the spotlighted work and how others respond to it.

tag(s): creative writing (124)

Learn about architectural design and construction of buildings and more and about design in general. This site also gives teens a forum to post design ideas and receive feedback from others their age as well as teachers and design professionals. Discover Design also promotes challenges every year for student teams to create an innovative remake of something (community market, lunchroom, food stand, library and community center, etc.) for their community. Another design challenge is a CIRT Nation Design and Construction Competition. Examples of past challenges are designing Water Resource Management and Preservation, a National Pavilion, and a Gastronomic Center (a space for cultural exchange through styles of cookery). Check registration deadlines as one is usually in the spring and another at the end of the year. View the contest requirements and rules in great detail with forms on the site. Use this site for lessons and information without an account, but to use the forum tool you need to create an account.

tag(s): architecture (75), engineering (129), makerspace (40), measurement (122), modeling (8)

Procon presents controversial issues in a non-partisan manner. Find current issues with balanced information to promote critical thinking without bias. Categories include Education, Entertainment & Sports, Elections & Presidents, Science & Technology, and New Topics among others. Issues can include Abortion, Euthanasia, Climate Change, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Health Care Reform, Obesity, and the Death Penalty, just to name a few. Read the information on each issue in a Pro and Con format along with background information, and discussion questions. Some included video clips. Some topics are controversial, so adults using this site with young people may want to go directly to a single issue rather than having them browse openly.

tag(s): climate change (99), critical thinking (127), debate (42), difficult conversations (57), persuasive writing (58), politics (118)

Here you will find a plethora of ideas for students to report about the books they've read. Watch your students' appetite for reading soar with this collection of creative book report ideas, complete with instructions. From edible book reports to video projects, there is something to spark everyone's interest and keep them engaged.
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tag(s): book reports (28), critical thinking (127), writing (325)

The Legacy Project is a big picture learning project for adults, youth, and children. There are three categories to the program where you develop your legacy: personal, interpersonal, and community. Explore your connection with others in your life and create closer relationships between generations. Find out how you can help make a better world by addressing issues like building stronger communities and caring for the environment. The Legacy Project was inspired by the award-winning bestseller, Dream, and is a content rich site that explores all aspects of the hopes and dreams we have for ourselves and our world. You can identify and reach for your goals to make a difference in your own life and our world.

tag(s): communities (35), crafts (64), cross cultural understanding (173), environment (252), writing (325)