Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Use this free site to learn about animals, fossils, insects, rocks, and minerals. Try the activities and games to learn more about each. Explore the life cycle of humans, nutrition, respiration, endangered animals, and more. Don't miss the "Fun Stuff" link for some "fun" educational activities to try. Although this site doesn't have a lot of extra "glitz," there is a ton of information to be found.

tag(s): animals (294), endangered species (27), fossils (41), insects (68), life cycles (21), minerals (13), nutrition (140), respiration (11), rocks (35)

Turn any image into a fully functional QR Code in 3 easy steps that take less than one minute. Upload your image or choose one from Visualead's online gallery. Set the desired destination for your QR code. Place the QR code where you choose on the image. Upload your image from your computer file or drag and drop from a folder on your computer. Choose from options for the QR link: choose url, vCard, YouTube video, Facebook, or many other web-based media choices. Drag, resize and place your code anywhere on the image. When finished, click on generate to complete the QR code generation process. Login using Facebook, Google, or email to receive the finished image. Share using the social media links or download to your computer. Here is a (link to an example).

A tip: when creating your QR Code, you will see a link to "generate your image" on the last step. It will give you the options of "try again" or "next." Choose "next" to go to the final step. "Try again doesn't mean that your image wasn't created, it just gives you the option for personalizing the code differently before completing the process.

tag(s): qr codes (19)

Listen to soundscapes recorded all over the world. Find a place of interest on the map, listen to the recording, and read the information about the location. Some locations have a link to a Google Map tour. Upload your own soundscapes using the site or through the iPhone/iPad app.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (173), listening (93), maps (220), senses (20), sound (72), sounds (43)

Learn about all different species of fish in the United States and around the world. This site packs an aquatic animal punch! Explore the Fishopedia to learn facts about different types of fish such as where they live, what type of food they eat, and how to catch them. There are even sections about fishing safely and conserving fish and their native habitats.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animals (294), conservation (102), environment (252), fish (18)

Learn about the recycling process. View Virtual Tour videos about recycling processes including recycling of specific materials. Use the Search bar for lesson plans about recycling. Also, search for Infographics for data and information about use of resources and recycling. Don't miss the family activities for kids (they can be used in the classroom, too) in the middle of the page! The videos reside on YouTube. If your school blocls YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): earth day (60), energy (133), recycling (45), resources (83)

Kinteractive Learning offers several free and useful teacher tools for use on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use the dartboard selector to randomly choose students from your class. Import your class from a txt file or input names manually. Easily edit your class list with absent students. Once ready, click to spin the dartboard, launch a dart and see what names appear! Open each tool in a new window for a larger viewing area. At the time of this review, the other free tools included a random name generator, scoreboard, and stopwatch. Access to all tools is available after registration with email and a password. Note that other areas of this site are subscription-based.

tag(s): classroom management (120)

Join Jackie, Matt, and Inez in the PBS world of Cyberchase, using the magical powers of math and science to take adventures. The "Motherboard" heads the team against the evils of the universe, Hacker. Visit "Games" to find interactives. There are printables found at the "Activities" link. And finally, watch different episodes (see Video) of Cyberchase to practice various math skills. After the show, find links to the math presented in the show. Examples of content topics include: fractions, geometry, math, weather, money, problem solving, using data, using numbers, science and engineering, pre-algebra, measurement, math and sports, and geometry.

tag(s): data (151), engineering (129), fractions (160), money (113), problem solving (233), sports (82), weather (160)

Find over 50,000 sounds of music, nature sounds, spoken words/poetry and human environments. Click dots on a map to see the location and play the sound. Search by keyword or by category and save to your playlist for future use once you create a free account.

tag(s): cultures (181), multimedia (53), sounds (43)

Find great images, links, and articles about the sun and space on this European site. View multimedia videos, high resolution images, animations, and downloads. Find additional resources for further information about space missions. View and read related articles. Find current topics of focus in Astronomy such as recent and impending solar eclipses. The link "For Educators" is full of "ready to go" lesson ideas. There is also a link on the Educators' section to esaKIDS: designed with elementary students in mind. Most of this site is ideal for secondary students; however, parts of the Educators' area could be used with upper elementary students.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): earth (184), solar system (107), space (220), sun (70)

Join Ruff Ruffman in the PBS Kids Game show, Fetch. Learn about animal science as you view (and participate) on this educational game show including 5 contestants ages 10-14. "Ruff" hosts the game show, reality style with children contestants, learning about science and also crazy challenges. Topics include (but are not limited to) animals, engineering, deserted islands, dinosaur footprints, hover crafts, mummies, song birds, and more. There are past episodes and games available.

tag(s): animal homes (57), birds (46), dinosaurs (43), diseases (66), literacy (121), machines (17), simple machines (19), vocabulary (238)

E is for Explore! offers many learning activities and opportunities for classroom exploration (and fun) that conforms to Common Core. Explore the blog by scrolling through the many activities or search using keyword tags on the right of the page. Choose from popular posts such as Lego fractions or ABC handprints or St. Patrick's Day skittles. All activities include simple directions, and some include links to printables for completing activities. Be aware: some of the activities include comments from other users. At the time of this review all comments were appropriate.

tag(s): addition (129), alphabet (53), angles (52), branches of government (65), charts and graphs (172), density (17), dinosaurs (43), division (98), electricity (61), erosion (15), fractions (160), geology (62), geometric shapes (134), inferencing (7), literacy (121), logic (161), minerals (13), money (113), multiplication (122), place value (34), reading comprehension (149), rocks (35), senses (20), subtraction (110), transformations (12), weather (160)

Check out this online journal with a twist. Each day the site sends an email with questions about your day to prompt you to write. Respond to the email with your entry for automatic posting. Images can also be added to entries. Personalize the site using your choice of color and fonts. View entries as a PDF for easy printing as desired. Register with an email and unique name for your diary.

tag(s): blogs (65), creative writing (124), journals (15), writing (324), writing prompts (61)

This is a wonderful site for finding quality images to use in projects. Use these images for either personal or professional projects. Registration is not necessary to download them. All images are copyright free. Search images by name (or category - photos, video, illustrations and vector) and filter by orientation (landscape or portrait) and image type (photo, clipart, video, or vector.) Be sure to use the filters at the top. Right click to download. Use good search terms to find the best pictures possible. You must know where to save images on your computer. Be sure to give credit to the person who took the picture and show their name wherever the image is used. Consider adding images to this site to increase the number of options and expand the ideas of Creative Commons. Adding images does require you to join the site (email required).

tag(s): creative commons (28), images (264), photography (131), search engines (48)

Sky Diary offers facts for students about hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, and storm chasing. Choose the link to each of the topics to find quick facts such as how tornadoes or hurricanes form, measuring intensity of hurricanes and tornadoes, or safety precautions. The storm chasing portion of the site offers insight into a typical storm chase, reality vs T.V., and how to become a storm chaser. This simple site contains a great deal of useful weather information for classroom use.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): careers (157), hurricanes (32), tornadoes (14), weather (160)

MIT + K12 is an excellent site where MIT students create videos and teach science concepts to K-12 students. Though the daily operations (outreach program) is gone, the videos are still freely available. MIT + K12 was created to be used as an avenue for current engineering, science, and math students. The goal is to change the perception of these roles for young students and encourage development in STEM skills. Choose videos sorted by topic or grade level. If you sort by grade levels, be aware there aren't as many choices for the younger grades. Do a keyword search for specific terms. Each video includes the assignment (question addressed in the video), the MIT's student's proposal for the video, and the short video explanation. Don't see what you need? Create an educator account and pose an assignment for a MIT student to address in a video lesson. The videos are mainly shared on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): bacteria (22), colors (63), energy (133), engineering (129), glaciers (17), nuclear energy (20), planets (113), plants (146), reproduction (7), scientific method (48), STEM (298), transportation (31)

Digital Learning Day is an annual February event spotlighting successful instructional practice and effective use of technology around the country. Choose the "About DLDay" option to find out more about the goals of Digital Learning Day, begin with a detailed description listing the characteristics of digital learning. View exemplary models, showcases, lesson portals, and more using links provided. Sign up as a participant for Digital Learning Day then plan your own classroom activity, provide a presentation to parents, or choose from other ideas offered on the site. Explore the Participate portion of the site to find digital tools, online resources, graphics, lesson plans and more. Sign up isn't required; however, it does allow you to receive emails with updates and learning ideas throughout the year. The digital learning content demonstrations are conducted in four areas: math, science, language arts, and civics/social studies; critical areas, such as working with ELL or special education students, will be woven into the lessons.

tag(s): digital citizenship (85), digital storytelling (156), modeling (8), preK (271)

This website, produced by the Martha's Vineyard Museum, tells the story of Laura Jernegan and the journal she kept on her voyage on a whaling ship. In October 1868, Laura Jernegan, a 6 year old girl from Edgartown, Massachusetts set out on a three year whaling voyage. Laura, her father, mother, brother and the ship's crew set off to the whaling grounds of the Pacific Ocean. The site also tells the adventurous history of whaling. Choose from many different topics for exploration such as information about whales, a timeline of whaling, interactive map, and explore the ship. Dive deeper to view artifacts, meet the crew, and view a picture gallery. Lesson plans (and complete units) are provided for grades 1-3, 4-5, and even high school.

tag(s): 1800s (75), whales (11)

TV411 En Espanol offers lessons covering several math, social studies, and science topics, all in Spanish. All lessons are offered in video and slide format beginning with an introduction to the activity. Some videos have questions for students to answer and receive feedback. Choose a topic to view videos offered along with a short description. Each video includes links to related web lessons (slide format) and some offer related print downloads.

tag(s): bacteria (22), heat (14), nutrition (140), photosynthesis (21), spanish (109), water (104)

Textivate is a simple web tool to automatically generate a range of online activities based on any text you enter (up to 500 words). Type or paste a chunk of text into the text box on the Textivate front page and click on the "Textivate Now" button to see the available exercises that can be generated from that text. Choose from various activities based on the amount of text used such as drag and drop, sorting, or fill in the gaps. View an example on evaporation located here. Register on the site for further options such as uploading text, embedding your textivate onto a website, or share via hyperlink.

tag(s): grammar review (31), process writing (37), sequencing (17), summarizing (23), word study (59)