Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

JumpRope offers an online, standards-based gradebook and lesson building program. You can also include information such as attendance, character, and standards-based performance with just a few easy entries. Manually enter your students' names in JumpRope or upload a spreadsheet of names to begin. Use the tabs on the dashboard to move around to different areas of the site. Write anecdotes on student behavior, assign a category and value, and more. Collaborative features between teachers appear to require a school or district level membership, and there is no information stating it is free. Based on backwards design principles, this planning tool considers learning goals before assessments or learning experiences. Assessments are aligned to one or more chosen standards. Upload as many supporting documents or resources you desire to use throughout the year and beyond.

tag(s): classroom management (120)

Problem-Attic is a resource for finding and compiling the best questions from NY Regents, State Assessments, Academic Competitions, and more for classroom or individual use. Select, arrange, and format questions as desired. Select questions by browsing topics or exams. Add items as desired to your document with the link provided. Drag and drop selections into any order such as easy to hard, all multiple choice items together, etc. Choose a template for how questions should look. Choose other options such as allowing room for students to show work and printing an answer key. Preview your document until it is complete then print in PDF format. Create lesson plans, too.

tag(s): assessment (148), Teacher Utilities (200), test prep (69)

Are you looking to add some color to your math instruction? Need a break from the black and white worksheet? Coloring Squared offers free pages to teach and review math concepts. Determine the solution and color the squares based on a key found on every page to reveal a pixel art puzzle. While the math may be puzzling, enjoy coloring the squares to generate a fun, pixelated picture. Aligned to the Common Core Math Standards, the free pages offer supplementary materials for counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percents, and place value.
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tag(s): addition (129), counting (60), decimals (85), division (98), fractions (160), multiplication (122), operations (72), percent (59), place value (34), subtraction (110), worksheets (70)

Whip up a batch of Bingo cards in no time with Bingo Baker! Give your card a title and start typing words into the Bingo grid, change Bingo column headings if desired. Use the option to leave the center space free or not by checking the box at the bottom of the page. When finished, click Generate to produce your cards. The free option is limited to printing 8 cards at a time. This may work best for centers and small group work instead of whole class activities.

tag(s): printables (36), worksheets (70)

Forge connections between the arts and other subjects through resources at Education Closet. Choose the lessons link to find many lessons for grades K-12. Each lesson preview contains a short description, information about classroom and fine arts content. Many also correlate to Common Core standards. You can search for lessons by grade levels (K-3, 4-8, or 9-12). Choose a lesson for a more complete description. Click to download the complete lesson in PDF format. Each lesson contains a list of materials, complete directions, assessments, and suggestions for extending the lesson.
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tag(s): american revolution (82), bullying (48), charts and graphs (172), civil war (139), dance (31), descriptive writing (42), energy (133), immigration (68), main idea (8), narrative (16), patterns (61), photography (131), poetry (194), ratios (47)

If it Were My Home compares living conditions of one country to those of another. Allow the site to use your location when accessing the home page. This allows a comparison from your location to others places around the globe. Select a region on the globe to compare. Choose from countries included in that region. View a map comparison. See statistics and comparisons such as oil consumption, economic statistics, and birth rates. Expand comparisons by clicking on the arrow. Scroll down the page to view more information and suggested reading materials about your chosen country. Share comparisons using social media buttons located below the map or email using the link provided.
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tag(s): africa (148), asia (116), australia (29), canada (24), cross cultural understanding (173), diseases (66), europe (84), globe (12), hiv/aids (15), south america (49), statistics (121)

A Close Look at Close Reading has a printable toolkit describing the Purpose of Close Reading - Suggested Strategies, Key Terms, and Visual Tools or Materials. Included are suggestions for organizers and examples for selecting and using questioning in text. One helpful section discusses how to choose appropriate text for close reading and explains that text with simple story lines and vocabulary aren't best suited for this strategy.

tag(s): commoncore (73), guided reading (33), reading comprehension (149), reading strategies (96)

The 360Cities panoramas are a new way to showcase places, businesses, and events from around the world. Looking for a new virtual field trip? 360Cities will have your students spinning in circles with excitement. The pictures are out of this world! View 360 degree panoramic pictures from Mars or under the sea. Travel to snowy mountain tops and many more of the Internet's largest collection of uploaded panoramic images. 360Cities panoramic aerial shots are also available as well as navigable views of cities, natural landscapes, and more. The most popular panoramic pictures are listed for your convenience. This website has panoramic views of all Seven Wonders of the World, which include the Colosseum in Rome, The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, The Taj Mahal in India, Machu Picchu in Peru, Christ Redeemer in Rio, and Chichen Itza in Mexico. Are you looking for a site to showcase your own panoramic shots or do you want to learn how to take panoramic shots? 360Cities "how to" section offers tools to create and upload your own panoramic pictures. View the existing pictures for free or use an email address to create a free account to upload your own panoramic pictures. Paid upgrades are available. 360Cities also has an app for iOS devices. View the 360Cities blog linked on the site for more information.
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tag(s): images (264), landforms (39), landmarks (22), virtual field trips (130)

Save time when creating presentations and choosing fonts by using Wordmark.it to preview what your exact words will look like. Simply type/paste in any words, and Wordmark.it scans the fonts on your computers, displaying the words in each and every font style you have. Adjust font size as desired to see changes or change to positive or negative space. This site helps find the perfect font for any use in no time at all! You no longer have to guess whether the capitals will look funny or the specific letters/words might be hard to read. Art teachers can use this to demonstrate design aspects of different fonts. Sign up using email and a password to save words if desired, but this isn't necessary for general use.

Find classroom tested art projects for K-5 and beyond at Art Projects for Kids. There are new posts (and activity ideas) nearly every day. Choose from tags listed on the site to find projects by type such as weaving or watercolor. Find projects by season and topic. Each post includes a description for completing a project, materials needed, and links to printables if required. View the included tags with each item to find suitable grades for each project and similar posts. The projects vary from "crafty" to very open-ended and expressive.
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tag(s): artists (84), crafts (70), drawing (62), holidays (189), seasons (37), symmetry (26)

QuizBean is an online quiz generator that does not require registration. Create "this or that" (sorting) quizzes that involve two options easily and quickly. Begin with a title then add quiz answer options. These will be the same two answers for every question. Write the question in the next screen. Add as many additional questions as desired. When completed, save and share via your unique QuizBean URL or send via email, Facebook, or X (formerly Twitter). Responses receive a correct or incorrect notification. A running total of responses displays on the right side of the screen. Although this site is recommended for all grades, with elementary students the teacher should create the QuizBean for students (with their input). The home page features titles of quizzes created by current users (general public). Check the site before sharing it with students. Displayed on the front page are the most recent quizzes For example, at the time of this review, there were quizzes about beer preference.

tag(s): quiz (67), quizzes (91), test prep (69)

Math Celebrity is an automatic math tutor and problem/solution generator. Enter any math problem or search term into the search bar. The answer is generated including each line of work required to solve the problem. Many science topics are also available. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the many topics. Hover your mouse over the lesson features on the left side of the screen to view additional options on the site such as subjects, calculator, and instructions. Click on the calculator in the search bar to view a list of problems and tutorials to explore. The video tutorial is hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): angles (52), charts and graphs (172), conversions (37), coordinates (15), decimals (85), energy (133), equations (119), exponents (35), factoring (25), factors (29), fractions (160), functions (52), multiples (15), number lines (33), percent (59), polynomials (20), prime numbers (26), probability (99), problem solving (233), pythagorean theorem (19), quadratics (27), ratios (47), rounding (8), square roots (15), vectors (16)

Interested in making a professional quality animation? Blender is an open-source, downloadable 3D rendering program that is free! Blender offers an array of essential tools for animation in the following categories: Interface, Modeling, Rigging, Rendering, Animation, UV Unwrapping, Shading, Physics and Particles, Imaging and Compositing, and Real Time 3D/Game Creation. Since this tool is open source, many scripts for extra tools can be downloaded from the user forums. Even though this tool is time consuming to learn, many detailed tutorials are available on the Blender website. There is also help in the community forum. Download is available for Windows, Mac, or Linux. Be sure to check out the animations in the gallery for great ideas of what this tool can do. Although this site could be used by some younger students, an adult would need to supervise and assist.
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tag(s): animation (64)

The Infographic of the Day from FastCompany can give practice in learning about data and interpreting Infographics. Not sure what an Infographic is? Infographics provide visual data and information about a topic/related topics. Be sure to take time to preview the Infographics on this site as some may not be suitable for young people. It would be best to link directly to a specific Infographic to share.
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tag(s): data (151), infographics (57)

MindMup is an easy to use mind mapping tool. Click to create a new map. Double click the starter bubble to add your title. Use the tool box (top menu) to add or edit ideas. Use the mouse to drag and drop nodes. The mouse can also be used to scroll the map (drag the central node, or anywhere outside the map). As soon as you change a map, the Save button appears in the toolbar. Click it and your new map gets a unique URL. Every time you save, the map gets a new URL. Just copy and share the URL with colleagues and friends. Anyone can edit the map, but won't change your original copy. The best part of this simple/easy site: no registration required!

tag(s): concept mapping (15), graphic organizers (49), mind map (28), organizational skills (88)

Enter the engaging virtual world of Whyville filled with math, science, art, and literature activities. Create an avatar and join in constructive educational activities that promote socially responsible behavior. There are many activities to explore, and you can chat with other users. The Zero Gravity Chamber features angles and the principle of Newton's 3rd Law. In the Rocket Design Lab simulate rockets to test parameters such as nozzle size and pay load. The Engine Lab has 3 games that teach about electric charges and ion engines. Citizens must be aware of infectious illnesses and plagues that infect the citizens of Whyville. Join in the hot air balloon race to analyze vector fields to navigate hot air balloons. Go on an art treasure hunt around the world. At the dance studio design and choreograph your own dances. Visit the beach, the climate center, take a swim, or meet your friends at the playground or waterfall. Simulations change every time you enter Whyville. Earn clams, a salary, manage a bank account, get a pet, and read the daily news. Log-in (with email) is required to fully participate in this site. However, most of the site is accessible without registration. Don't miss this award winning website!

tag(s): aircraft (17), animals (294), dance (31), diseases (66), logic (161), money (113), motion (47), puzzles (150), recycling (45), social skills (22), vectors (16)

Every child loves the popular Clifford books by Norman Birdwell. Explore the adventure stories and watch episodes from the television series. In addition, choose from games, videos, and printable activities with the Clifford theme.

tag(s): colors (63), matching (8), preK (271)

Join PBS kids and Calliou, the curious preschooler, from the book series by Christine L'Heureuxz and illustrator Helene Desputeaux. Calliou explores the world while using his imagination on many different adventures. Activities, printables, videos, and a new app for your mobile device all feature Calliou and his curiosity. The activities feature school readiness skills involving spatial awareness, memory, puzzles, matching letters, and following musical melodies. Advertisements are only for Calliou products.
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tag(s): matching (8), preK (271), puzzles (150), video (266)

Turn your blog in to a PDF book featuring all your blog's entries and comments. This tool works for the following blog tools: WordPress, LiveJournal, and Blogger. Creating the PDF book is simple. Export your blog by following the directions given for each specific type of blog and then upload the file to BlogBooker. All your content and comments are assembled into a high-quality PDF file. Note that this process can take a few minutes or longer depending on the size of your blog. This is a great way to print your BlogBook or make an archive/backup of the blog. It could also be useful for students and educators as a way to save a blog as a portfolio item. At the time of this review WordPress, LiveJournal, and Blogger were all 100% FREE!
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tag(s): blogs (65)