Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Story Share is the perfect solution for finding relevant and readable content for older students unable to read above the elementary level. Digital content provides interesting material that doesn't condescend to teen readers. Use the drop-down menu tab for Explore at the top of the page to find Education and the eLibrary and filter the correct reading and interest levels. Login is required to read books, and it allows you to add books to a reading list and to bookmark the stopping point while reading books. Be sure to check out the The Blog to find books on current topics and ideas for reading nooks, etc.

tag(s): book lists (167), differentiation (84), digital storytelling (154), ebooks (43), multilingual (77), reading comprehension (149)

Give your students practice and instruction in standardized test style format. Find an easy way to create Common Core assignments using PARCC and Smarter Balanced question types. Passages allow for highlighting, graphs, image labeling, and video sections for background knowledge. Questions include a section for written response to improve evidence-based answers as well as multiple choice. Teachers can share their assignments or use other teacher created assignments. Students receive immediately graded feedback. With a free teacher account, save questions to your library.

tag(s): assessment (147), test prep (69)

Join the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count every February anywhere in the world. Help scientists collect data to get an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. Detailed information contains a tool kit with instructions and a how to video, data forms, bird lists, and an online bird guide. Submit your observations and explore the data that was submitted by area, range, and submission map. Count birds any time of the year by clicking on the ebird link on the home page.

tag(s): birds (46), service projects (17)

This site offers an easy way for teachers to encourage students to do extensive reading. It contains quizzes for thousands of commonly read Penguin graded readers, and also a classroom management system. M-Reader also offers many classics rewritten for lower reading levels as well as the original higher reading level. After a simple institutional registration, teachers can select the books they want students to read outside of class, set up a classroom, and show student progress. Teachers do not have to make quizzes. It automatically displays grades and records quizzes. Each student, even ones reading the same books, receive different quizzes. Books are available at up to eight different levels so students can begin at a level comprehensible to them and go up. Once a student completes a book, a quiz is provided. If the student is successful on the quiz, they receive a book cover in their file. Students can see the progress of other students in the class and compare themselves to other readers. Check with your administration about the feasibility of setting up an institutional registration. Unlike other popular "read it and take a quiz" programs, it is FREE!

tag(s): guided reading (33), reading comprehension (149)

Make your story-telling come to life in any content area with this free tool! Story Map uses a map or pictures to tell the story. The simple editor in this tool syncs to Google Drive editor to create a storymap. The created storymap is a sequence of slides for a map location or image that includes a heading, text, and even images and embedded video. The map or image and included information appear side by side. You can click between the slides connecting one location to another (or portions of an image to another). Your story is now interactive! To use: Follow the prompts to connect your Google Drive to the tool. Choose the type of story to create, Map or Gigapixel (image). Don't worry about the map image showing on the first page. When building a map, the front page will include the portion of the World Map based on map points throughout the project (ex. USA or Europe). Add a headline and detail to the appropriate areas. Include links and change font to bold and italic if desired. Add images to any page by uploading from your computer (through Google Drive) or by entering a link to an image. Enter the URL of the Vimeo or YouTube video you wish to use. Need help? Click on the Gigapixel tab along the top for help in uploading images and videos. The Media box not only has an area for the URL, but also an area to enter a caption and credit for the image. Add additional pages by clicking "Add Slide" in the left-hand menu. Add points to your map, one per slide, by typing the building, street, city, and country. Use the zoom bar in the top left to find the location. Customize the map style, background color, and font using the Options buttons. Click Share to send through social media or to use an embed code. The embed code can be used in any site, adjusting its width for different sites. If using Gigapixel, use a large image (as the image will literally be the "map" and your points move around the image). Save your image to Google Drive and copy the URL of the image as you will need it in the first step.

tag(s): maps (220), stories and storytelling (58), timelines (56)

Find more than 350 ready to use ideas for training games and activities at Thiagi Training Games. Titles include types of activity, for example, whether it is a card game, role play, etc. Choose a title and view a full description including playing time, number of players, and materials needed. Although created for corporate training sessions, many ideas fit right into classroom use such as debate ideas, getting to know you activities, and more.

tag(s): back to school (55), debate (42), firstday (22), game based learning (205)

ABC Splash is a large educational website from Australia containing videos, games, and audio clips. Special sections for parents include informational articles, teaching resources, and education news. Choose from primary or secondary level to view offerings sorted into categories or go to games and sort by topic or grade level to find resources. Register on the site to store and save favorite activities for later use. The site was created in the Australia, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): addition (129), animals (295), antarctica (30), atmosphere (22), australia (28), cells (82), climate change (99), continents (33), counting (60), decimals (85), division (98), earth (184), earthquakes (46), ecosystems (83), egypt (56), energy (133), environment (252), food chains (19), forces (37), forensics (12), fossil fuels (10), game based learning (205), gold rush (15), human body (93), immigration (68), insects (69), light (56), maps (220), molecules (44), money (113), multiplication (122), nuclear energy (20), nutrition (140), oceans (149), parts of speech (39), percent (59), perimeter (20), place value (34), plants (146), probability (99), rhymes (22), rocks (35), songs (46), sound (72), subtraction (110), time (91), vietnam (38), volcanoes (55), weather (160), whole numbers (9), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

National Geographic offers a rich and extensive site for educators through its Education homepage. Scroll down the page to find resources, reference materials, maps, media, collections, and much more. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find Explorer Classroom. For specific content searches use the search bar to find and filter results by grades, subjects, resource type, and audience.This site is frequently updated. Check back often!

tag(s): animals (295), climate change (99), commoncore (73), earth day (60), ecology (103), energy (133), food chains (19), map skills (63), maps (220), migration (45), multimedia (53), oceans (149), STEM (297), weather (160)

Free Online Stopwatch offers an assortment of popular clock tools - all ad free, simple, and easy to share! Choose from the Stopwatch, Alarm Clock, Current Time, Timer, or Date Countdown. Also, find emoticons for social media and email at the bottom of the page. Click on any of the social media links at the top to easily share your countdown. Download the program to begin.

tag(s): classroom management (120), organizational skills (88)

Create a presentation that has the familiar slides of PowerPoint with the commentary of a screencast. With this tool, you have the control. You can determine whether to see the presentation as created or browse slides and listen to only the portions that you want. Upload your content from Google Drive or a computer. Click "Present" to begin making your presentation. Be sure to approve the tool to access your device's sound and camera. Create your presentation and then share the link to the recording. Share by using Gmail, Google+, Google Drive, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Dropbox, and other social media. You can also embed the link on your blog or wiki. You may need to manage the size of the slides and images before uploading. If they are too large, you may have difficulty moving to the Present phase (this problem may be a temporary one). Find several tutorials for using Presentious by scrolling down the Support page.

tag(s): blended learning (37), multimedia (53), slides (43)

This site is the perfect example of false information that you can find on the Internet! Learn all about the endangered tree octopus and efforts to keep them from extinction at this very realistic "fake" site. Read all about the characteristics of the tree octopus including habitat, reproduction, and why it has become endangered. View some of the activities such as a trick or treat box to collect candy to hang in trees for the octopus. Peruse pictures of rare sightings of the octopus. The falsehoods shown on the site, such as the inclusion of other hoax species and organizations (mixed with links to pages about real species and organizations) are sure to give you a chuckle!
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): creative writing (124), evaluating sources (29), internet safety (114), literacy (122), media literacy (109), satire (6)

This tool is an online Jeopardy game builder. Click support on the top right to find video tutorials to help you get started. Sign up for a free account, enter the information, and you are ready to play! Use the "create game" button and enter your title. Then, start building your game. Enter your email address so you can edit the game later. Enter your series of questions and answers under difficulty levels. It's that easy. Up to four teams or individuals can play at one time. Play the demo history game and choose one of the vegetable icons to get started. Clicking the check mark for correct will reveal the answer.

tag(s): gamification (83), quiz (67), quizzes (90)

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin was a cultural phenomenon when it was published, and continues to be an important window into the mid-19th century anti-slavery movement prior to the American Civil War. Here you will find important cultural context for a fuller discussion of the novel and its impact on American society and history. Browse the site for a variety of primary source material, or interpret the work's significance through one of several lenses: Anti-slavery texts, the influence of "minstrel shows," 19th century Christian revivalism, or Victorian sentimentality. There are several high school level lesson plans to give you ideas for using the enormous number of audio, visual, and text-based resources available to supplement either a literary examination of Uncle Tom's Cabin, or a cultural-historical one. Be advised that much of the primary material reflects the 19th century views on race that prevailed at the time. It should be carefully viewed and used within a discussion of its context.

tag(s): 1800s (75), abolition (7), african american (115), civil rights (209), civil war (139), history day (39), racism (79), slavery (79)

Expedition Insects is a high-interest, nonfiction free ebook (pdf) for an iPad or any device that can use an Internet browser. Travel the world to investigate six different insects in their natural habitats. Find beautiful illustrations depicting the insect and its habitat. Read about the Blue Morpho butterfly, Asian giant hornet, Malaysian walking leaf, African dung beetle, brown marmorated stink bugs, and fireflies. All have amazing abilities. Each insect has its special tricks for living and thriving in their habitats and an important role in the ecosystem. Also, learn a little about world geography by tracing the route from one continent to the next where they live. Click the Read Here button to get a PDF version of the book. This PDF is full of gorgeous illustrations to complement the information. The iPad version is available on iTunes and is free (not a PDF). It is interactive with clickable links and videos. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): biomes (110), ecosystems (83), guided reading (33), independent reading (81), insects (69)

Typeform offers an interactive method to ask and answer questions online. Use the form builder to create visually rich and engaging questions. Drag and drop features make it easy to add and personalize content such as different question choices, images, backgrounds, and more. The "live" preview allows you see your typeform evolve as you create it. When complete, share using your unique URL or embed your Typeform using provided HTML. Go to the Help Center and under Dashboard, read more about your options for sharing your Typeform. Choose options for receiving and tracking visits to your form in your configuration settings. Track visitor behavior and demographics with your Google Analytics tracking code; you can also export your result to a spreadsheet in Excel (XLS) or CSV file formats, or Google sheets. Through Typeform you can have your Google sheet automatically update as answers come in--no need to export data manually.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), polls and surveys (49), quizzes (90)

Pinup is a web-based canvas for creating and storing sticky notes. Create a new canvas by clicking anywhere on the blank canvas. You can also click and drag your mouse to create a new note from anywhere on the board. Click the plus sign to add a new text pin, and the image symbol below it to add images or a document. Use the menu across the top of the sticky to change the background color, duplicate the pin, move it to another canvas or turn it into a checklist. You can also drag and drop images directly from your desktop. Personalize stickies by changing the color of sticky notes. Edit the text options using bold and strikethroughs. Change the size of your notes quickly and easily. Once you have created more than one canvas, choose the one you want to be your default canvas when you use Pinup. Any device with a web browser can access and use this organizer! Share your canvas with one click by adding email recipients. Note that collaborators must have email addresses.

tag(s): bulletin boards (15), homework (29), organizational skills (88)

What better way to learn than through making? Collaborate and make items for the web using these webmaker tools. These Hacktivity Kits are easy for anyone to organize a session and learn about creating items for the Internet. Use these kits to facilitate classes that focus on webmaking. Each section includes what you will need to consider to prepare for using the kits. Kits include sample lessons, projects, and activities. Find documents (cheat sheet for HTML!) that can be printed in each of the Resources sections. Use activities that assess progress and even provide badges. Each kit has a Big Picture, Objectives, Questions, and all related material. Find a variety of kits: X-Ray Goggles, Popcorn, Thimble, Online Storytelling, Revolutions in Media, Make It Share It, and more. As the name suggests, the Hacktivity kits can be hacked as well. Choose the parts that work for your class and expand upon others when more resources are needed. Since the products are created for the web, the tools used to make them are web applications. The recommended browsers include Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Note: It is important that all browsers be updated to the latest versions in order to use the web application effectively. Be sure to click "View Additional Resources" for one page documents including readings, cheat sheets, checklists, how-to's, and FAQ's. Click "View All Hacktivities" for simple activities such as Icebreakers. Explore Hands on Hacking, to delve deeper into the material.

tag(s): digital storytelling (154), images (263), stories and storytelling (58), video (266)

Looking for real-time feed back from your classes? Use tests and quizzes to get immediate feedback with this tool. You can even upload a document to Formative for students to annotate. Enter questions that require a variety of answers including true/false, text answers, or student drawings. It will even mark answers for you! Setup a marking key and view instant data on who is correct. Students can create an account to get access to the materials you create. The site works on all devices and integrates with Google Classroom. Formative is aligned to many standards including Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and many other common standards. Create a free account. All assignments are organized in the dashboard. Click on New Assignment to begin and choose to start from scratch or upload a document. Choose the type of question and even add content such as text, whiteboard, or YouTube videos. Be sure to set up a key for automatic grading and watch the live results as they come in. Formative is optimized to work on any device with a modern web browser and an Internet connection. Formative now has AI in beta. There are directions for signing up for the AI part of Formative.

tag(s): assessment (147), commoncore (73), personalized learning (10), playlists (8), polls and surveys (49), quizzes (90)