Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Long known to improve accents and intonations, singing with limited English speakers also provides cultural knowledge, fun, and a whole-language way to assist students to memorize English in meaningful chunks. Mainly an alphabetical index to many enjoyable songs, this site also gives suggestions about how to use the lyrics to help improve the students' English.

tag(s): lyrics (15)

Listen to songs to teach important (and less important) science concepts. This collection of MP3 files was generated from an old set of records (yes, those round vinyl things that had scratches). While the actual copyright holder information is a gray area, you can feel safe in playing the songs from the site. Most likely, these songs from the 1950s and 60s are past copyright at this point. In any case, you can click to play from smaller or larger file versions. Be patient while they load, even over a broadband connection. It will be worth the wait to teach parts of plants, the water cycle, weather, motion, energy, electricity, and MANY other topics with just a computer and set of speakers to help students retain the information. Most of the content is elementary to middle school age, but some is high school level. Learning support teachers seeking alternate study strategies will love this one!

tag(s): animals (294), energy (133), mammals (22), motion (47), plants (146), space (222), water (102), water cycle (22), weather (160)

Listen to and learn about traditional music from cultures around the world and through the ages. Browse this amazing collection of downloadable tunes to find musical enrichment to enhance a unit of study. Full downloads in MP3 or FLAC format are available for purchase but each offering is accompanied by a free audio sample. Note: this site opens rather slowly.Be patient, especially if you are on a dial-up connection.

tag(s): songs (46)

This virtual playground for the visual and performing arts is filled with interactive experiences for student exploration. Music, painting, sculpture, theater, and dance are represented through thoughtfully structured activities that place students in the role of sculptor, music producer, art critic and more! A great resource for teaching the principles and processes involved in each art form. Includes printable word banks, informational videos, and lesson plans aligned to standards.

tag(s): artists (84)

Classics for Kids is an engaging website designed to introduce students to classical music through interactive lessons, composer biographies, and fun activities. Teachers can access ready-to-use lesson plans, games, and a podcast series that explores composers and musical concepts in an accessible way. The site also features listening guides and printable resources to enhance music appreciation in the classroom. Whether integrating music into history, language arts, or general education, Classics for Kids provides valuable tools to make classical music enjoyable and educational for students of all ages.

tag(s): composers (14)

Music theory students can find loads of information and examples on this site - from the structure of scales and chords to illustrations of many musical terms. Use the interactive tutorials and activities to construct and identify key signatures, learn about chords and modes, or practice rhythmic dictation.
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tag(s): music theory (46), rhythm (21)

Familiarize your students with orchestral program music by focusing on some of the exceptionally spooky and creepy works of Berlioz and Saint-Saens. After introducing students to important musical terms and concepts, this lesson plan asks them to listen to the selections, write a short story based on their reactions and impressions, and design a mural that illustrates the music's images. Aligned to Standards.

tag(s): emotions (49), vocabulary (238)

This comprehensive site provides students with concise information about musical eras, styles and composers. More than 200 musical excerpts are provided along with biographies of more than 70 composers. This is an excellent research site for general music classes.

tag(s): composers (14)

Using art, music, and literary classics, students explore the idea of "monsters" in society, analyze how they are portrayed, the purpose they serve, and why they are necessary. After an introductory brainstorming activity, students read Beowulf and Grendel, watch and listen to snatches of monster-inspired music (Night on Bald Mountain, Jaws, and others), then apply research skills to design and present their own conceptual monster. Includes an assessment rubric, links to multimedia resources, and extension activities.

tag(s): characterization (19), literature (221), stories and storytelling (58)

This multimedia site introduces students to Mozart, Beethoven, Joplin, Tchaikovsky, and more. Visitors can listen to portions of the composers' most famous works while practicing ordinal numbers and common word endings (-ed, -ing). Includes interactive exercises and virtual jukeboxes that provide additional musical selections.

tag(s): numbers (120)

Practice note recognition with this interactive activity. Click the on-screen buttons or use the keyboard to identify notes as they appear on the staff. Teachers can visit the "Settings" page to customize the activity. Headphones highly recommended.

tag(s): musical notation (34)

This interactive game provides practice in note recognition. Choose from four levels - beginner to virtuoso - and match each random note as it is displayed with the corresponding virtual piano key.

tag(s): music theory (46), musical notation (34)

This searchable collection of tunes, melodies, and musical themes provides a great resource for teaching counting and rhythm. Enter a keyword or phrase (or use the melodic contour search if you're up to the challenge), browse to find the desired tune, then click to listen to and view the melody.

tag(s): rhythm (21)

These creative and rather offbeat hands-on activities use common paper plates and a lot of ingenuity to illustrate principles of science, math, geography, music, and more! From plate tectonics (no pun intended), to multiplication practice and physical fitness, this site provides an amazing collection of ideas. Instructions are provided for most.

tag(s): resources (83)

If you find it difficult to motivate your high school students to read classic literature, try this site. Over two hundred songs and the works of literature that inspired them are presented. Students will discover that Bruce Springsteen was deeply affected by John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, and Led Zepplin composed a song based on Moby Dick. High school-level lesson plans are provided.

tag(s): literature (221)

The Children's Television Network has created a delightful set of learning activities that strengthen skills in letter recognition, decoding, listening, problem-solving, and more. Led by the familiar cast of characters from Sesame Street, your youngest students will love to explore Elmo's World, the Game Room, and participate in interactive stories. The links include games, stories, art, music, mail, and Elmo's World. At the Games link you will find science activities about the weather, counting challenges, classification activities, musical fun, and numerous other educational activities. This site truly has something for all primary elementary classroom.

tag(s): classification (22), counting (60), listening (93), numbers (120), preK (270), sound (72), sounds (43)

If you're looking for a resource that will engage reluctant readers or help new readers with unfamiliar vocabulary words, you may want to incorporate these fun and interactive stories into your classroom. Students can read through the interactive texts independently, click on troublesome words, and listen to their pronunciations. Select from movies, videos, and games that illustrate special sounds, pronunciations, and spelling rules.

tag(s): sound (72), sounds (43), vocabulary (238)

The month of March is filled with special events to commemorate. Use the many teaching resources on this site to develop activities for Women's History Month, National Nutrition Month, Youth Art Month, Music in Our Schools Month, and the Iditarod. Lesson plans, online projects, hands-on activities, and book reviews are provided. Created by Education World.

tag(s): iditarod (4), nutrition (140), women (151)

The PBS series on "The Blues" combines history and musicology in a reverential treatment of this uniquely American musical form. The site includes biographies, some good analysis of the musical theory and compositional form behind the blues, and samples of blues songs that are in the public domain. While you probably cannot make an entire unit out of this one, it would be a neat addition to a unit on African American culture, American music, or the history of the twentieth century.Though the video clips and music require Flash, there is a lot of information to learn from this site, and it has links to other sites about the blues.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115), blues (22), harlem (9), jazz (16)

Here's an on-screen music theory resource with explanations, descriptions, and on-screen quizzes that range from the simple to quite challenging. This one works better as a review and practice tool than as a self-study, but there's surprising depth to the presentations on all aspects of music theory. Well worth a visit for iPad and iPhone users.

tag(s): music theory (46), musical notation (34)