Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

WordSense.eu is part dictionary and part thesaurus, based on Wiktionary information. Type in any word in the search bar to view word origin, definitions, synonyms, and more. This site provides a multitude of information about the words. Click on underlined words within a definition to view their definitions. Our editors note that this is an unabridged dictionary including words not appropriate for school. Discuss consequences of inappropriate use and/or avoiding using this resource with immature students. .

tag(s): dictionaries (47), prefixes (10), root words (10), suffixes (8), thesaurus (22), vocabulary (238), vocabulary development (94), word study (59)

Songs, video book readings, lesson plans, and more abound at this fabulous site for young children! At We Do Listen you will find activities to build character traits (such as honesty) and social skills (such as anti-bullying). There are many video animations of the books. Choose the lessons link to find printable lessons to accompany each book to teach character traits and social skills. Under Fun Stuff there is also online coloring and a place to write and color your own story! Download song videos to your computer for use at any time. Choose the color and print your own book to color on paper, computer, and create stick and paper puppets.
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tag(s): bullying (48), character education (79), preK (270), social skills (22)

Just as the name says, Online Voice Recorder allows you to record your voice from your computer and save the file. With no membership required, this is a free and simple recording treasure! Simply push the record button and follow screen prompts to ALLOW the application access to your computer's microphone. Talk as long as desired. Then listen to the recorded playback. Trim and edit the length using easy sliders as desired. Save your finished version in MP3 format using the link.
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tag(s): blended learning (37), communication (129), fluency (26), preK (270), speech (69), spelling (98)

Create a virtual treasure hunt using the tools and maps on this resource. Follow simple directions to add clues to find any location on the globe. When finished, save to receive a unique url for your treasure hunt. Players follow your clues to find coins at each location along the way. After finding a coin, clues provide information for the next stop. There is a small learning curve for following and creating treasure hunts. But once you figure out the first one, the activity becomes quite simple to understand. See a very short treasure hunt sample here.

tag(s): game based learning (205), map skills (63), maps (220)

Find a thorough lesson plan guide aligned with the Common Core standards and so much more. Through this guide, middle school students will learn about the U.S. court system and the anatomy of a criminal trial. They will also learn about the rights of the accused, the jury system, and career opportunities. The materials support the book by providing more accurate and state-specific information on the legal process. There are plenty of interactive activities suggested so students are not just passive readers.
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tag(s): careers (156), civil rights (209), courts (20), critical thinking (127), guided reading (33), reading comprehension (149)

Get one scoop of ice cream for each noun and verb correctly identified. There is an ugly monster standing nearby waiting to scoop up the missed answers, in the form of ice cream scoops. If you get ten scoops, you get to play a bonus round. This round consists of moving the ice cream cone under the falling scoops to get as many as possible. You can select three different types of games: all nouns, all verbs, or a mixture of nouns and verbs.
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tag(s): grammar (137), parts of speech (39), verbs (26)

Create dice using the templates provided at the Dice Collector's page! Choose from many original choices displayed on the site, such as phases of the moon, the earth, and various versions of numbered dice. Click on any image to view the template full size, then print, fold, and put together.

tag(s): earth (184), moon (73), preK (270), probability (99)

Find full length lesson plans for many subjects at Lesson This! For example, there is Pumpkin Addition and Subtraction (perfect for a fall math lesson). Scroll through the latest posts or browse by learning objectives, tags, materials, or grade level using the boxes on the right side of the home page. Each lesson states objectives, lists materials required (with links to print-ables if needed), and includes complete directions. Many also include pictures of the activity.
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tag(s): christmas (38), colors (63), counting (60), crafts (64), descriptive writing (42), drawing (61), halloween (32), holidays (187), nutrition (140), parts of speech (39), patterns (61), preK (270), recycling (45), symmetry (26), valentines day (11)

Find several short activities related to John F. Kennedy. Read a short article about his presidency. Complete a fill in the gap or correct the spelling on an activity. Several writing prompts are included as well as homework extensions.
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tag(s): 1960s (26), kennedy (20), presidents (135)

Imagine a one-stop site for creating, editing, and distributing your school supply list and wish list to parents and others. That's TeacherLists. Create an account, find your school, and begin a supply list or wish list. Personalize your list with a short welcome statement, if desired. Choose from categories to add items. Categories include most popular items as well as specific items such as paper, pencils, or health and cleaning supplies. Include the quantity for each student, add a short note, and save when complete. Share your final list through email, direct url link, or several social networking links.

tag(s): classroom management (120), preK (270)

Create, share, and edit a variety of lists using FlexLists. Give your list a name. Choose from list options such as projects, addresses, to-do lists, and more. Add information manually or import using options provided. Keep lists private or email to others using options such as read only, read/add, or full editing permission. Registration isn't necessary; however, it allows you to easily find and share saved lists.

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

Create your own character icon (or avatar) for free with Portrait Illustration Maker. Customize your character with all of the options on the site. Select your hairstyle, face line, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, coloration, as well as other effects and accessories. Click Download to save your completed character as a PNG (or other file format) to use on a website or blog. Click Alignment to select GIF or JPG file format or to add a Word that will appear the top of the image. Images are 96 by 96 pixels (quite small). Use the delete button to start over or to make a new character. Portrait Illustration Maker offers a FREE iOS and Android app for mobile devices.
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tag(s): creativity (86), DAT device agnostic tool (147), emotions (49), faces (5)

Make quizzes from ready-made quiz show templates or create your own using this free tool. NO membership is required, but you will need to remember the password you add to the quizzes you create so you can return to and edit it. Templates can be edited to suit your purpose. Some of the general topics include most subject areas (history, math, science, social studies, languages, and technology). There is also an area related to sports and games. It is helpful to know some html code to make your quiz look the way you wish it to (boldface, etc.), but there are reminders at the side to help with this option. Note that the quizzes do NOT score your results and are intended to be played orally (Jeopardy style).
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tag(s): quiz (67), quizzes (90)

Create your own cloze quizzes out of any piece of text. Paste the text into the box and select how you want the cloze test made. Select different sentence functions. Choose to have every few words eliminated, or choose your own items to be removed for the cloze. Participants can choose either interactive or text only quizzes. The missing words appear at the top of the quiz. With the interactive quiz, the player types the missing word in the blanks. The site has a lot of flexibility in creating cloze tests. The site will work with world languages as well, but instructors have to choose the every few words option since the site will not recognize, for example, prepositions in another language.

tag(s): quizzes (90), reading comprehension (149), reading strategies (96)

Find engaging, challenging units to begin your Common Core journey. Intel Education Units are complete and include assessment tools. Search by grade level or subject. Find the basics for planning units. Also find sequencing maps, sequencing activities, classification charts, and prioritizing listings. Instructional Strategies include activating prior knowledge, graphic organizers, cooperative learning, and questioning strategies.

tag(s): literacy (122)

Create, collect, organize, and share video collections from YouTube and Vimeo easily with Huzzaz. Build a video library around any topic with just a few clicks. Click and drag the Huzzaz bookmarklet to your browser toolbar. Anytime you see a video, click the bookmarklet to save. Rearrange videos in your collection as desired. Add tags and brief descriptions. Add additional videos as desired. Share complete collections using links for Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and email. If your district blocks YouTube, then you may have to limit your choices to Vimeo.

tag(s): bookmarks (43), movies (54), video (266)

CrowdGrader is a site for submitting and collaboratively grading homework assignments. Log in through any Google Account to view, manage, and create student accounts and assignments. Create guidelines for homework such as individual or group work, submissions, and review deadlines. You can submit homework via attachments or using Google documents. View the review duties for other student assignments in an anonymous fashion assigning a grade and rank based on other submissions reviewed. After completion of all peer reviews, teachers receive all reviews for final grading. Export results in various spreadsheet formats. Once the review phase closes, students receive feedback on their assignments with final grades and class rank.

tag(s): assessment (147), homework (29), rubrics (37)

The Smithsonian Institution offers a printable guide to using primary sources in any classroom. View examples of how to do it and suggestion! Explore each of the main sections including documents, photographs, oral histories, and objects for ideas and tips. Each activity is aligned to National Center for History in the Schools standards. The guide is in PDF format for easy printing and use.

tag(s): primary sources (117)