Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Lifesaver is a crisis simulation that fuses interactivity and live-action film to teach how to help someone during a heart attack and CPR in a new way. View different crisis simulations while reacting within acceptable limits. Scores give feedback at the end of each scenario. In addition to the simulator activities, view answers to medical questions related to heart health, CPR, and choking by scrolling down to choices at the bottom of the home page. This simulator works on any device. However, the CPR demonstration does offer more ease in the free app versions than on a personal computer. This site was created in the UK. American English speakers may notice some slight spelling differences. Tip: you must check that you accept the terms to "Enter" the site!

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), heart (27), medicine (57)

Celebrate 25+ years of the World Wide Web with this retrospective in interactive form. Scroll through to read about the first ideas and learn about the explosive growth and important events throughout the years. Choose auto-play to watch the timeline unfold or scroll at your own pace. As you progress through the story, watch for links to web stories. Viewers of the site share their personal memories each step along the way. Hover your mouse over the right side of your screen to link to the entire report in PDF format.

tag(s): computers (109), internet safety (114), inventors and inventions (80)

Join the National Park Service and become a Junior Ranger Online! Don your ranger hat and go for a virtual tour and watch videos. Explore the online interactives, including visits to the Everglades and Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico. Choose from over 150 printable activities that offer opportunities to explore careers, build monuments, and learn about national parks across the United States. Learn how to complete activities and receive a Junior Ranger Badge and Certificate from the National Parks Service. The National Park Service also offers materials for educators, although they are a little difficult to find. Select the Menu icon with three bars and click on Educators or go here. Find lesson plans and activities using a keyword search and filters by subject, grade level, and Common Core Standards.

tag(s): animals (294), landmarks (22), national parks (29), plants (146), virtual field trips (128)

Looking for a challenge that can really make a change? The Biomimicry Design Challenge encourages participants to solve real-world problems as teams, basing their ideas on nature's own "design." Past challenges include Transportation and Water. You must be in a degree program to participate in the actual challenge, but anyone can read about current and past challenges. Read the Challenge details including judging criteria. View the Submission Gallery and past challenges to get ideas for your own challenge. Refer to the Biomimicry in Youth Education resource, reviewed here, for more information about the basics of Biomimicry.

tag(s): STEM (297)

Find information for backyard wildlife adventurers at this free site! View information on hunting and trapping, backyard habitats, and more. Be sure to check out the Discover Nature tab to view the Teacher Portal and for recipes using animals and plants common to Missouri. (If you live in an entirely different area, you can compare what Missouri has with what you have!) Cick the Wild Life tab at the to to browse through Field Guides organized by species group. There are video clips. Some are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): animal homes (57), animals (294), cooking (32), environment (252), forests (30), trees (18)

Quickly create charts for use on websites, blogs, and social media with ChartGizmo. Register using your email address. Click on New Chart and customize using information on the page. Choose from several different chart types, add a title, change color, and more. Import data from Excel or add your own values. When finished, Save & Publish to choose from several options for sharing or placing on web pages. A manual and examples are available on the home page.
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tag(s): charts and graphs (171), data (151), percent (59)

Visit Cool Kid Facts to find information for just about anything in this world or even out of this world! Select from Geography, History, Science, Animals, and Human Body. There are also topics in the right menu on the home page that range from Albert Einstein to Volcanoes and nearly everything else you can think of (alphabetically) in between. There are articles, videos, pictures, and quizzes, too. The videos are from various outside sources and are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): animals (294), australia (28), brain (56), china (81), deserts (16), earth (184), egypt (56), greek (47), heart (27), human body (93), italy (30), magnetism (36), mars (26), mexico (37), moon (73), newton (21), photosynthesis (21), rainforests (18), rome (37), sun (71), tornadoes (14), tsunamis (15), volcanoes (55)

Homeroom is an online tool and mobile app to share your class photos privately with parents, students, and others. Create an album and invite people to view it. Each time you update it, the members will be notified. When you populate your album with photos, you can also add a comment. Access Homeroom and upload photos on any device. For Initial registration you can use the app (iOs or Android) or register using your Google or Facebook account, or manually using email. Once registered, you can access the tool using any device using your username and password. Invite others from any device or computer by phone number or email address. They will become members and will be able to update your photo albums. You will be alerted about the new content. Albums are private. Only the people with the invite have access to the photos.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), images (263), photography (130)

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)

Take an in-depth look at animals that have roamed the Earth from 65 million years ago through today with this interesting site. Begin with the introduction to find some incredible facts about the lack of life on early Earth and a timeline. Then explore early life in the planet's seas using images of fossils and descriptions of climate and earth changes leading to the formation of other forms of life. Other sections explore the Reign of Dinosaurs, Frosty Animals of the Ice Age, and Today's Animals and Their Distant Cousins. The site is also available in Spanish.

tag(s): animals (294), dinosaurs (43), fossils (41), illinois (6), mammals (22)

Form Time Ideas offers a constantly changing selection of daily quick activities in many subjects. (For American teachers, "form time" is roughly equivalent to "homeroom" time.) Choose the Home Page to view a mix of topics such as Brainteasers, In the News Today, and Word of the Day. Select links to choose activities for only specific topics such as literacy, numeracy, or news. Easily print any page using the link in the top right corner of each section. If finished early, refresh the page for a new set of activities! You can also click on the button under each question to only refresh that particular question/statement. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English. This is a perfect site for you to leave for your substitute for early finishers!

tag(s): grammar review (31), literacy (121), news (228), numbers (120), riddles (15), substitutes (25), vocabulary (238)

Earth Null School is a visual compilation of winds plotted at many, many locations around the globe, updated every three hours. In addition, the globe shows ocean surface currents updated every five days and ocean temperatures, updated daily. Click and rotate the globe to view any area in the world. Scroll in and out to zoom in on any location. Choose the word "earth" at the lower left side of the screen to view controls and additional data. Controls allow you to view data from previous days, adjust from air to ocean currents, and add overlays for temperature, humidity, and more.

tag(s): climate (84), oceans (149), temperature (34), weather (160)

This Ted-Ed Original lesson features a video and related activities to understand where energy goes on Earth. This lesson features a multidisciplinary approach to understanding energy: using the natural science, social science, and economics to understand. Watch the video. Think by answering a series of questions. Dig Deeper with more information about the topic and join a discussion.

tag(s): conservation (102), energy (133), fossil fuels (10)

This project is a simulation of the actual creation of our Universe. Much of the theory of the formation of space, galaxies, and solar systems is complex and difficult to understand. Use this project to understand difficult concepts such as clustering and ejection of matter. What is this project? Developed by teams of scientists, data from 50,000 galaxies were used to develop the simulation. Be sure to view the Videos/Images tab to learn about the various concepts used to develop the simulation. Identify relationships within the Universe, Laws of Physics, new understanding about Dark Matter, and more. Change various aspects of data using the layers icon in the upper right while viewing in the Explorer. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. Be sure to read the About section for a better understanding of the project, basic concepts, and more information about the model.

tag(s): solar system (110), space (222)

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)

We know our own lifetimes are but a tiny hiccup in the long history of the Earth. But what HAS happened since we were born? The BBC will tell you. Simply enter your date of birth (using the day/month/year format) and some other information (you can choose either metric or Imperial/US measurement), and a wonderful series of charts appears! How many times has your heart beat? How old would you be on Venus? How has the Earth changed since you were born? How has humankind changed the Earth since you were born? How many volcanoes have erupted? What's happened to the sea levels? How many endangered species have become extinct? This site is created by the BBC (United Kingdom). American English speakers may notice some slights spelling differences. It is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer 10 and above.
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tag(s): climate change (99), earth (184), earth day (60), earthquakes (46), planets (113), writing prompts (61)

LunaPic is an easy to use, online photo editor that doesn't require registration. Upload your picture from any computer, website, or social media option to begin. Choose from many photo effect options such as red-eye removal, vintage, dark, or pencil strokes. Use options within each photo effect to create your desired image. There is even an effect to insert your picture as the image on a dollar bill! Choose from save options to save to your computer, email, or add to other sites.
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tag(s): editing (93), images (263), photography (130)

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)