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Antarctica - BBC
Grades
3 to 12
This website (created by BBC) is all about Antarctica. The focus is on research information about Antarctica, animals from Antarctica, Global Warming issues and a student's visit to...more
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This website (created by BBC) is all about Antarctica. The focus is on research information about Antarctica, animals from Antarctica, Global Warming issues and a student's visit to Antarctica. Students will enjoy the pictures and games on this website. The use of a peer (student) visitor sharing information will make this site more appealing to students. Though some of the activities require Flash, there is still a lot to be learned at this site.
tag(s): antarctica (30), arctic (40)
In the Classroom
With Global Warming issues being discussed frequently, use this website as a simple guide to group discussions on the topic or to introduce the lesser-known continent to your youger students. Don't forget to use a projector or whiteboard to share this authentic footage with your class.Ramadan at Holidays.net - Holidays on the Net
Grades
4 to 12This is a basic introduction to Ramadan for non-Muslims. It explains the fasting and obedience requirements of the holiday. Select further topics from the left menu such as The Five...more
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This is a basic introduction to Ramadan for non-Muslims. It explains the fasting and obedience requirements of the holiday. Select further topics from the left menu such as The Five Pillars of the Muslim Faith, The Fast of Ramadan, and several others.
In the Classroom
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of the Middle East. Understanding the culture will help students to understand Muslim society and norms. Considered using a tool such as Read Ahead, reviewed here, with this articles as a guided reading activity for younger students. Read Ahead is perfect for introducing any reading passage to struggling readers, special education students, and ENL/ESL learners. Use this site to inform students about the Muslim holiday, and begin a discussion of this holiday and how it compares to some popular in American culture. Useful site for any social studies or civics class.Story Corps - NPR
Grades
3 to 12NPR is amassing a collection of oral histories by traveling across the country and talking to average people. On this website, users can read or listen to the stories told ...more
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NPR is amassing a collection of oral histories by traveling across the country and talking to average people. On this website, users can read or listen to the stories told by a wide variety of Americans. Click "Tell your story" to find Locations & Reservations for traveling Mobile Booths or directions to record on your own. The Do It Yourself guide includes tips on interview questions and an interview check list. Started in 2003, the site has many stories in its archives and frequently adds updates.
tag(s): digital storytelling (155), podcasts (114)
In the Classroom
Use this site to reconnect your students with those of other generations and geographic locations. Turn up your speakers and listen to some examples in your classroom. You can even use the story collection site as a model to start your own oral history project for your class or the entire school. You may not want to actually place your recording on the NPR site but instead house them locally in your school or community web site. As major events occur in your community, such as an anniversary or the opening of a new school, engage your students in documenting the event. The general interview guides offer useful interview techniques for school newspapers or news broadcasts, as well.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
Anne Frank Center - Anne Frank Center USA
Grades
6 to 12This site would make a nice accompaniment for students reading "The Diary of Ann Frank." This site includes exerpts from Anne's diary, lesson plans and downloadable readers' guides...more
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This site would make a nice accompaniment for students reading "The Diary of Ann Frank." This site includes exerpts from Anne's diary, lesson plans and downloadable readers' guides for teachers. Go directly to "Ann Frank: Life and Times" to access the excerpts from her diary and the scrapbook. This include pictures and artifacts along with a biography of Anne Frank suitable for middle school students.
tag(s): anne frank (10), world war 2 (162)
In the Classroom
A "scrapbook" section would be very effective on a projector or interactive whiteboard. The scrapbook might function as a good anticipatory activity to set up a unit on the diary, although it does give away the ending of the story. There is also a section for teachers which includes some downloadable handouts, a bibliography and other resources.If you are teaching about World War II, this would be a good resource to share on your teacher web pages for independent projects.
The Costumer's Manifesto - Tara Maginnis, Ph.D
Grades
7 to 12This is an amazing site for kids who ask, "But what did they WEAR?" In today's fashion-conscious society, looking at the past is often quite amusing, eye-opening, and insightful. A...more
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This is an amazing site for kids who ask, "But what did they WEAR?" In today's fashion-conscious society, looking at the past is often quite amusing, eye-opening, and insightful. A worthwhile site for teachers of theater, history, English, and even family and consumer science -- since the site even includes some patterns. Clicking on any of the options in the opening menu will take you to specific areas of that subject through history. The "Costume History sorted by Period" is truly fascinating as it offers drawings, patterns, and rationale for clothing of different time periods, including materials used and practical reasons for everything from codpieces to headdresses.
tag(s): costumes (3)
In the Classroom
This is a HUGE site worth dipping into for everything from history of clothing to wedding rituals and ceremonies of all kinds. As you introduce the setting of a new piece of literature or study of a new historical period, share this site to make another time "real" to your fashion-conscious teens. Include this site for fashion, costuming, or customs as one of the student research topics for a time period or lit study.Note: The site is not terribly attractive as a set of links. It also has advertising and links to "outside" topics. Give precise directions for where students should go.
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
Grades
K to 12The mission of National Council for the Social Studies is to provide leadership, service, and support for all social studies educators.
...more
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The mission of National Council for the Social Studies is to provide leadership, service, and support for all social studies educators.
In the Classroom
Within the Classroom Resources section of this website to look for free lesson plans and classroom activities. The lessons are organized by grade level, so be sure to pass it along to peers in other grade levels. Save this one as a favorite to allow for easy access and retrieval.Flash Earth
Grades
K to 12You may be familiar with Google Earth but may not have the ability to install their free software on your computer, either because you are not permitted to or because ...more
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You may be familiar with Google Earth but may not have the ability to install their free software on your computer, either because you are not permitted to or because your computer is not powerful enough to handle it. Try Flash Earth for a simpler tool to explore the earth as you teach geography to any age from kindergarten to seniors. Perhaps you just want to quickly show which way the Conestoga wagons crossed the U.S., or maybe to show where in the world a current events story is taking place. This simple tool, on a projector or interactive whiteboard, is just the trick.
Note: You MUST have FLASH on your computer.
In the Classroom
Use a projector or whiteboard to share a location as art of the background knowledge for a lesson. Be sure to add this link to your teacher web page as a reference tool, as well. Be aware that some world locations have much "fuzzier" satellite images than others. Always preview before your lesson to be sure you can show the features you want students to see. Show elementary students where their "neighborhood" is, perhaps even their streets!Virtual Seminars for Teaching English - P. Groves and S. D. Lee
Grades
8 to 12This ia a very interesting site for teaching the literature and humanities areas of WWI. You can follow interactive "paths" or create your own path. It highlights several lesser known...more
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This ia a very interesting site for teaching the literature and humanities areas of WWI. You can follow interactive "paths" or create your own path. It highlights several lesser known British poets and photographers from that time period and contains some things found nowhere else on the 'net. Some of the archives include media components, such as video that may require Flash. History teachers may want to use some of these materials to familiarize students with the culture of the times.
tag(s): literature (221), poetry (196)
In the Classroom
This could be used very easily as part of a webquestor web scavenger hunt. You could also use it in the classroom on a projector or whiteboard to show different elements or types of war poetry. Make sure you have the correct plug-ins if you are using video portions.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
Trading Card Maker - BigHugeLabs.com
Grades
4 to 12Create photo trading cards using images you upload or store on Flickr, Instagram, or Dropbox. Imagine having your students create study aides about famous people using images they draw...more
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Create photo trading cards using images you upload or store on Flickr, Instagram, or Dropbox. Imagine having your students create study aides about famous people using images they draw and scan or photos of themselves impersonating the famous people, such as presidents, explorers, authors, and more. If you celebrate reading by having an "author's tea," why not follow up by asking students to make trading cards for the authors they "met"? Use a similar approach for famous historical figures or even for geometric shapes you photograph with the digital camera. If students write their own "biographies" of the shapes to study from, they will learn for sure! They can even trade each other for favorites.
tag(s): book reports (28), famous people (25), images (263)
In the Classroom
Upload and tag your photo, type information, and print cards. Download finished card to your computer. Use for book reports for literature circles with each student in the group making a card for a different character in the book. This is also an excellent idea for special occasions for special people: mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, school nurse, school secretary, school custodian, favorite aunt, or anyone else! Be sure to print onto cover stock and laminate (if possible). What fabulous (and memorable) gifts. Check out the Big Huge Labs educator account. Easily pre-register students to avoid creating logins, view and download their creations, and view the site advertisement free. You will find information about the Educator Account here.World Flag Database - Graham Bartram
Grades
3 to 12Users can find any flag in the world in this well-updated database. To search for a specific country's flag, simply click on the first letter of the country and thumbprint ...more
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Users can find any flag in the world in this well-updated database. To search for a specific country's flag, simply click on the first letter of the country and thumbprint flags from all countries beginning with that letter come up. Besides coming to a full sized representation of the flag, readers also see important statistics such as religion, currency, and languages as well as important organizations the country belongs to such as the U.N. In one click, a contextual map of the country comes up.
tag(s): flags (20), maps (224), statistics (121)
In the Classroom
This is an easy-to-use fast reference tool for students. The site also sells flags, but you can ignore the sales portion. If your students do country reports, this is a one-stop site for them to find their country's flag. Perhaps they can use these ideas to design a flag for their own mythical country as part of a unit on government.Wikipedia: List of Faux Pas
Grades
6 to 12Although this site is a wiki and therefore editable by anyone who chooses to change the content, it highlights the differences between cultures and how people interpret behavior. Find...more
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Although this site is a wiki and therefore editable by anyone who chooses to change the content, it highlights the differences between cultures and how people interpret behavior. Find out about what is considered "good" and "bad" etiquette in places all over the world. Perhaps your students would even like to write their own additions?
It is worth mentioning to your secondary students that the authorship of wiki content is unknown and would therefore be unacceptable as an "academic" source.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (176), cultures (211)
In the Classroom
Use this as a discussion-opener in your world language or world cultures class. If you put the Faux Pas wiki up on a projector or allow your students to explore it, assigning each group to find one thing that is perfectly acceptable in your home country but considered offensive in another, you can then discuss the differences one needs to consider in learning the language or history of that country. As a a follow-up in a world cultures class, ask students to write up their own etiquette guide for their school or home town.World War One: Armistice Day - BBC
Grades
9 to 12This site contains a number of activities and videos centered on World War One. tudents can choose various weapons and try to win a mission, listen to eyewitness accounts, ...more
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This site contains a number of activities and videos centered on World War One. tudents can choose various weapons and try to win a mission, listen to eyewitness accounts, and discover various roles played by those on the homefront.
The site is clearly designed for use in British schools and comes from the British viewpoint, but could be very useful in American classrooms as well. Because our country was not part of the war theatre, it can be hard to imagine the war's impact. This site more clearly shows the impact.
tag(s): world war 1 (77)
In the Classroom
The videos other visual activites would work well on an interactive white board.Native American Nations - Lisa Mitten
Grades
3 to 12Find Native American nations' own sites and information in this alphabetical index by tribe(with notes as to most recent updates). ...more
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Find Native American nations' own sites and information in this alphabetical index by tribe(with notes as to most recent updates).
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for research papers and projects. Students can search for information about specific tribes or for information that the tribes themselves have put forward. This would be a great resource for a US history class.Fishbanks: A Renewable Resource Management Simulation - Defra
Grades
9 to 12This is an online simulation game focusing on sustainable fishing. Students can manipulate variables (numbers of fishing boats, catch quotas) and see how those changes affect both the...more
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This is an online simulation game focusing on sustainable fishing. Students can manipulate variables (numbers of fishing boats, catch quotas) and see how those changes affect both the bottom line and the environment. Each change results in a year's worth of data (up to 15 year's worth), and then reactions from different stakeholders. The game can be played as one, but other participants will need to be online, or as a group. Register with your school email to get a code to set up your class, which could take two business days.
tag(s): environment (252), financial literacy (95), fish (18), resources (83), sustainability (51)
In the Classroom
The game could be helpful in showing students that "success" in a business that affects the environment can be measured in a number of ways: cash flow, environmental impact, community support. The game could be played cooperatively by groups of students on an interactive whiteboard, or could be played individually by students, as long as other players are online. Since it's available on-line, students could be instructed to play the game at home or during study halls and then be prepared to share their individual data in group discussion.BBC Learning English - BBC (British Broadcasting Company)
Grades
3 to 12BBC offers the news with vocabulary support, exercises, video and audio features with related testing, a serial story with viewer input, a special grammar and vocabulary section, and...more
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BBC offers the news with vocabulary support, exercises, video and audio features with related testing, a serial story with viewer input, a special grammar and vocabulary section, and features just for students (Learner of the Day, a learning English blog, emailed newsletter, and message board.) This is a comprehensive site well worth your time. American speakers will find some "different" vocabulary, but this simply enriches the site.
Some activities require Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
tag(s): news (226)
In the Classroom
For teachers, there is a weekly lesson plan to accompany a selected news feature. The lesson plan includes highlighted vocabulary, a glossary, comprehension questions, a quiz, and links to more information about the subject of the story. This site is useful for far more than just ESL/ELL. Remedial reading teachers who struggle to find interactive comprehension activities will love the variety of reading selections and cloze passages, such as "Get That Job."Dates That Matter - TeachersFirst
Grades
5 to 12Dates That Matter provides a new perspective on history by placing each day-in-history event in a broader context and explaining its long-term impact. History is a fabric woven of many...more
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Dates That Matter provides a new perspective on history by placing each day-in-history event in a broader context and explaining its long-term impact. History is a fabric woven of many events, and Dates That Matter helps students see the full tapestry.
The dates display on a projector-ready screen: A single sentence reveals something about the date. You then click to see a sequence of thought-provoking questions to guide students to a greater understanding of interrelationships as they try to guess the actual event. When the historical event finally shows on screen, a further explanation, Why does it matter?, fills in the remaining context and offers reviewed links to learn more.
Teachers who work with low readers might try using these daily clues to teach the reading strategy of connecting what you read with prior knowledge to place new learning in context.
A full, annotated version of each date is available from the Teacher page at the end so you can plan for student responses and have hints for guiding the discussion. You can also preview upcoming dates to choose those you may want to put in your weekly plans.
tag(s): calendars (37), substitutes (25)
In the Classroom
Begin your social studies class once or twice a week by sharing a Date That Matters on a projector or interactive whiteboard to foster broader understanding of the connections that form world history. Or use the links at the end as an extra credit or enrichment opportunity or for gifted students to investigate more. Focus class attention as everyone enters by projecting the date and starting sentence. Make this one a link on your teacher web page for students (and parents) to access outside of school. Substitutes will also appreciate this meaningful and engaging way to connect today with students' prior history knowledge for more than an isolated factoid. It's a lesson ready to go!Where in the World and What in the World is Money? - International Monetary Fund
Grades
6 to 12A brief, fairly simplistic game that illustrates the different forms that money can take: gold, paper money, items of value, a promise to pay in the future. The ...more
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A brief, fairly simplistic game that illustrates the different forms that money can take: gold, paper money, items of value, a promise to pay in the future. The game involves a trip through time in which the player needs to choose various objects to use as currency. Wrong answers re-direct the user back to the list of choices. Right answers advance the user through the game.
In the Classroom
This might make a nice kick off activity (10 minutes)to a unit on money--from an economic perspective rather than a counting perspective--or a unit about a country or society that uses a different form of currency.Around the World in 42 Hand Gestures - Work the World
Grades
2 to 12Scroll down the landing to learn about gestures from other cultures and share the discussion through the infographic on this site.Use as part of your language class or as an ...more
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Scroll down the landing to learn about gestures from other cultures and share the discussion through the infographic on this site.Use as part of your language class or as an activity to help students communicate with ENL/ESL peers. Gestures can have VERY differnet meanings in other cultures, so this site is a must before any foreign language trips abroad!
tag(s): communication (130), cultures (211), infographics (57)
In the Classroom
ENL/ESL teachers will appreciate this free infographic hosted by Work the World. Be sure to save it as a favorite on your classroom desktop to allow for easy retrieval later on.WorldWise Schools - Teaching About Culture Lesson Plans - Peace Corps
Grades
2 to 12This site is a much-expanded remake of the Peace Corps collection of lesson plans and activities for cross-cultural understanding around the world. Teachers can search for lesson plans...more
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This site is a much-expanded remake of the Peace Corps collection of lesson plans and activities for cross-cultural understanding around the world. Teachers can search for lesson plans by topic, region of the world, grade level, or academic subject. All readings and materials are included (many as PDF - Acrobat Reader files). Many lessons include readings that would also work well for teaching reading comprehension, espceially for your less-than-proficient readers. Simply choose the area of the world, subject, and/or grade level for which you want a lesson plan, and you will see quite a list.
tag(s): cultures (211)
In the Classroom
Search for lessons on a specific region as you teach about it or use these selections as general readings for comprehension. Consider using a guided reading activity with a tool like Hypothesis, reviewed here. Hypothesis is perfect for introducing any reading passage to struggling readers, special education students, and ENL/ESL learners. The lessons may also be helpful in getting to know students who enter your classroom from other cultures. The lessons would be very helpful in developing background knowledge to understand cross-cultural literature selections in a language arts class.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
The Cultures and History of America - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12This site accompanies an exhibition of 4,000 rare books, maps, documents, paintings, prints, and ojects focused on the early Americas from the time of the indigenous people of Mexico,...more
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This site accompanies an exhibition of 4,000 rare books, maps, documents, paintings, prints, and ojects focused on the early Americas from the time of the indigenous people of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean through the period of European contact, exploration, and settlement. There is a nice picture gallery of exhibits and a comprehensive bibliography.This site provides some nice visuals for a unit on indiginous peoples of the Americas. The picture gallery has some lovely maps from the Francis Drake expedition, and the information about buccaneers would provide a nice balance to the "Pirates of the Carribean" fantasy depiction of pirates.
tag(s): aztecs (10), explorers (64), mayans (32), spanish (112)