Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Investigate these videos for teaching young children. Select videos by most recent, most popular, or from the subject menu on the left. Not all of the subjects have an accompanying set of videos for this age group. The videos have a written description. Some of the most useful videos not only provide background information, but also suggest and explain activities. Click on the picture of the video to view that video and its description. There will also be a link to the series, if there is one. Clicking on the text link will take you to all of the videos in the series.
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tag(s): preK (270), professional development (385), video (266)

Youcubed is an up and coming mathematics education site for grades K-12. See short video presentations about how to build confident, math-loving students. In addition, the site plans to include tasks and lessons correlated to Common Core Standards. One interesting feature discusses mathematic tasks used by today's companies such as Google. Another section will feature information, resources, and tools for parents. This site continues to grow. Be sure to sign up with your email to receive site access and all of the latest updates. Browse through a few examples currently on the site for a preview of upcoming features. Search for lesson plans by using the word Tasks. (Don't be shy about adding comments on this TeachersFirst review as new features roll out!). Some videos are hosted on YouTube (others on Vimeo). If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): professional development (385), STEM (297)

US Digital Literacy is a comprehensive informational site to help better deliver digital literacy information to students. Help to prepare your students to understand and use information in multiple formats from a broad range of sources. Students need to be able to read, and interpret media, reproduce data and images, evaluate, and apply new knowledge from digital environments. Learn how to use the tools, promote responsible digital citizenship, while providing a framework to access, analyze, and create new information. Under Digital Toolkits find information about digital citizens, web 2.0, augmented reality, social bookmarks, wikis, images and creative commons, keyboarding practice, and mobile learning communities. For your own use, find professional learning networks, adaptive learning systems, learning management systems, project based learning, and STEM and STEAM. The Twenty-first- Century Skills section gives background in the Common Core, core subjects, learning and innovative skills, information and media literacy, and life and career skills. Instructional Strategies provide information for classroom management, activating strategies, vocabulary strategies, cognitive growth strategies, organizing strategies, summarizing strategies, and assessment types. Information regarding thoughtful technology leadership includes videos to promote conversations and challenges for your school website. Each section includes interesting and informative videos. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): augmented reality (9), digital citizenship (85), literacy (121), professional development (385)

What comes to mind when you think of the Arctic? For most it is penguins and polar bears. Learn more about the Arctic with this interesting site. Click on various topics such as Polar Plants, Icebergs and Glaciers, Keeping Warm, and more. Click on each topic for short information about the Arctic. Each topic includes Professional Learning, In the Field: Scientists at Work, Science and Literacy (see lesson plans), and Across the Curriculum. Be sure to look at the links below each topic. Share this photo gallery with your students. Be sure to also view the links at the top including the Photo Gallery and Stories for Students.

tag(s): animals (294), arctic (40), climate (84), energy (133), habitats (92), plants (146), tundra (14), water (102)

Want to make sure you are up to speed on all your Common Core resources? The links guide you to resources in math, language arts, writing, reading, science, and technology. Find a short description of the site, and then go directly to the site. There is also quite a bit of professional information about the Common Core standards. Substitute teachers can easily be led to ready to go Common Core sites.

tag(s): commoncore (73)

The Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP) is a resource for providing differentiated instruction to gifted/talented (G/T) students. It is also a resource for providing enrichment for any and all students. The site includes materials for grade levels K-12 sorted by grade bands. Each band through 10th grade provides two or more interdisciplinary units including guided instruction as well as opportunity for independent research. The high school (or exit level) band provides for independent study under the guidance of a mentor who is an expert in the student's area of study. All materials are aligned to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.

tag(s): differentiation (84), gifted (66)

This site offers over 10,000 lessons aligned with the Common Core and the Next Generation Science Standards. The lessons were created by 130 Master Teachers. You can browse resources without registering. Click the blue "Browse" button to get started. Choose along the top from Common Core Math, Common Core ELA, or Next Generation Science. Lessons are arranged by grade level or Math, Language, and Science subjects. However, if you want to create your own resources, registration is required. After registering, create a class and then create a unit for that class. Finally, create a lesson for that unit, fill in an objective, select a state standard, and estimate the total time on task. Upload files (or drag and drop) to assign them to the lesson or keep them "unassigned" for later use. Additionally, simply add other members' files to your own curriculum. Search for files by keyword, age-level, and type of format. Click on a result to see every lesson plan using that file.

tag(s): commoncore (73), professional development (385), Teacher Utilities (197)

Sight Words offers a comprehensive resource of techniques, teaching activities, lessons, and materials for teaching young children to read. Begin your exploration by Clicking the Teaching Strategies. Explore the information and instructions for all teaching strategies employed in lessons. View videos, read blog posts, create and print your own flashcards, and more! Explore the history of Dolch and Fry sight words. Take a visit to Sight Word Games to find great ideas for your classroom: Bingo, Fly Swat, Fishing, Bean Bag Toss, and more... all related to sight words, of course. Some of the video clips are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): flash cards (44), game based learning (205), gamification (83), preK (270), reading strategies (96), science of reading (34), sight words (23)

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)

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 (102), butterflies (13), conversions (37), critical thinking (127), dna (43), earth (184), environment (252), geometric shapes (134), immigrants (34), medieval (32), native americans (108), patterns (61), periodic table (44), renaissance (38), rocks (35), russia (36), south africa (13), spelling (97), statistics (121), volcanoes (55), weather (160)

Expect more, Achieve More is a coalition of business, community, and educational organizations working towards higher standards in education. Find explanations of Common Core and its importance in our country and government. A parental brochure explains the importance of Common Core and ways to assist at home. View the importance of Common Core to teachers and community members.

tag(s): commoncore (73)

The Common Core America Achieves website features lesson videos in Common Core shifts, key teaching points, expanded high school resources, and editable lesson plans. Find ways to assess the quality of resources. Explore the resources provided for a number of great websites to improve your instruction. Explore the What's New area on the homepage. This is a great site to save in your professional online "bin."

tag(s): commoncore (73)

Gift Cards for Good collects gift cards with a "little" left on them and uses them to buy things for charities. This 501C3 tax-exempt organization, was created by a 10 year old. Explore the links to find out where to send your leftover gift cards. Find the links to various charities around the world. Find other ideas about how to help around your community (without gift cards).

tag(s): service projects (17)

EQuIP offers a growing list of resources shared by teachers for professional help with Common Core Materials. Click on tabs to find rubrics and feedback forms, e-learning modules, exemplars, videos, and much more. After choosing a tab, scroll down to find grade-specific links to materials. View exemplar lessons based on EQuIP rubrics for every grade including peer review feedback. Submit your own lessons for peer review and possible inclusion on the site.

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

Time and Date is your one-stop resource for anything concerning time zones, calendars, and weather. View current time for any place in the world, explore time zone maps, and create and print personalized calendars. Explore the short news articles. Calculators and timers offer countdowns to any date. Find the number of days until a chosen date or tell the date in X number of days. Other options allow you to find the weather anywhere in the world, explore sun and moon phases, and browse through upcoming holiday events. There are also many free apps available to specific sections of this site (see the Apps link). There is a LOT here to explore!
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tag(s): calculators (36), calendars (37), DAT device agnostic tool (147), moon (73), sun (71), time (91), time zones (7), weather (160)

Find tips to implement the Common Core standards in grades 2-12. The 26-page guide for text selection is downloadable in PDF format. There is also an interactive online review form (editable pdf) for evaluating texts. Click Literacy Curriculum on the left menu to access four units for grades 6-12 that highlight a core literacy proficiency. They provide instructional sequences, handouts, tools, and texts for developing deeper understanding, independent writing skills, and critical thinking in students. The units include Reading Closely for Textual Details, Making Evidenced Based Claims, Building Evidence Based Arguments, and Research to Deepen Understanding.

tag(s): commoncore (73), persuasive writing (58), professional development (385), reading comprehension (149), writing (324)

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)

The Parenting Guides provide informative guides to child development from preK through High School. Choose from grade-level charts to view academic, health, and social guidelines with benchmarks and tips. Articles by noted experts offer up to date information and advice for parents and teachers of all grade levels. Don't forget to browse through the National Resources for local help with Mathematics and English, searchable by state.

tag(s): child development (24), learning styles (18), parent conferences (21), parents (57), preK (270), social skills (22)

Organize YOUR way with Legend (was Moo.do). Just begin typing to create lists. Mark to set priority options and highlight important text. Drag and drop items at any time to place in order. Use @date to automatically add items to your calendar and instantly add names from your contacts for email or phone access. Be sure to watch the video (requires YouTube) and follow tutorials to quickly learn how to organize your life with Legend. If your school blocks YouTube, you may want to view the tutorial at home.

tag(s): calendars (37), DAT device agnostic tool (147), organizational skills (88)