Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

What would happen of the world ran out of oil? Players simulated that reality through this innovative game. Though the activity is officially over, for the thirty-two days of play, over fifteen hundred stories of reaction to a massive decline in available oil and their reactions were recorded. Each story has been archived. Use the Time Machine to go to any of these weeks. Official stories for that week are the headline. Read stories by players in the blocks to the left. Click on a story block to go to the story. Take Gretchen's Quick Tour and experience the activity as one of the participant's did. Be sure to check out the Lesson Plans for Teachers.

tag(s): climate change (99), critical thinking (127), environment (252), oil (22)

Zoho Show is an online presentation and document creator tool. This program is somewhat simpler than PowerPoint, but runs on a similar format. Use this tool as you would PowerPoint with your students. It is very advantageous if you have assigned a project and students do not have access to PowerPoint at home. This can be accessed anywhere with no cost to the student, the parent, or you. Sharing and collaborating is also simple. Upload, edit, and save your documents easily.

tag(s): multimedia (53), slides (43)

How Things Fly offers a self guided, interactive resource to understand how space and air flight happen. This site delivers information clearly and effectively about lift, drag, thrust, and weight. It is very easy to navigate and there is a ton of information to gained! This answers a lot of questions that students tend to ask when talking about space and some physics.

tag(s): aircraft (16), aviation (40), flight (34), space (222)

Become a Martian Citizen! Join the Age of Virtual Exploration and the Human-Robotic Partnership. Pages on this site may take some time to load. Click on I want to be a Martian Citizen to create an account. Students choose under 13 or 14 and over. If under 13, a parent email is required and over 14 still requires contact information. Skip making an account by choosing "I just want to look around." Choose this to cruise the site by creating an Anonymous Tourist Visa to just look around. Become a map maker in the Map Room of the Citizen Science Hall, become a curious visitor in the Crater City Town Hall Polling Place, visit the Two Moons Theater, or view the visitor center Tourist Malls Atlas. Window 10 users will need to download Microsoft "Silverlight."

tag(s): mars (26), Microsoft (80), nasa (30), planets (113), space (222)

This site offers directions and resources for 132 educational card and board games. Games are listed in alphabetical order with a direct link to the description of the games. Most games have a name that gives a clue to the content; however, it may be worthwhile to search other games that may be modified for different uses. Each game includes information on appropriate use of the game, rationale, directions, modifications, and information on designing game cards.

tag(s): capitals (16), logic (161), number sense (69), nutrition (140), puzzles (149)

Learn about levers and forces with this engaging interactive. As items drop into the water below, pick them up and drag with your cursor to hang on the lever above. Add other levers as they appear. Once objects are hung, move them from one area to another to see the differences in the levers. Let water out of the pail to see even bigger changes. Follow the links to download on a Mac or PC, or download the app from Apple's App Store.

tag(s): forces (37), motion (47)

Learn more about the state of Arizona with this site offering facts and information just for kids. Choose the Natural Wonders link to learn about the many natural wonders and national parks within the state such as the Grand Canyon, the town of Tombstone, and the Apache Trail. Get all sorts of information on the state by choosing the Arizona Library that includes an Activity Book, Almanac, Research Topics, and more. Check out the left menu on the library page for even more topics. Learn about state facts, emblems, motto, and much more in the State Facts section (did you know Arizona has official state neckwear?). Be sure to view the state photos section for realistic images of many portions of the state and of its natural wonders https://www.arizonahighways.com.

tag(s): national parks (29), native americans (108), natural resources (37), westward expansion (39)

Explore and learn all about Alaska with this site dedicated to kids. Learn interesting facts such as there are 70 volcanoes in Alaska in the Facts section. Student Information includes basic state information such as the state motto, nickname, state seal, flag, and state emblems. An especially informative portion of the site contains a great deal of information on the state history. Here students can explore Famous Alaskans, Homesteading, Russian Heritage, and more. From bear watching to wildlife many outdoor activities are offered as examples of ways to enjoy all the state has to offer. Another section, Geography, includes information about glaciers, climate, and daylight hours throughout the state. Be sure to check out the portion of the site that addresses common misconceptions about the state.

tag(s): alaska (21), animals (294), flags (18), volcanoes (55)

This "plain vanilla" looking site offers science help for parents, students, and teachers with simple explanations of science topics and ideas for experiments and projects. Here you'll find the answers to the ever popular questions "Why Do Leaves Change Colors" and "Why is the Sky Blue."There is an extensive section devoted to creating a wonderful science fair that includes project ideas, how to pick a topic, presenting projects, judging, and parent information. There are also many at-home ideas for projects using simple, easy to find materials such as swinging cereal to demonstrate static electricity. You can sign up for their free newsletter to stay informed of new materials added to the site. There is an online store; however, it isn't necessary to purchase materials to use most of the information offered onsite.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): colors (63), electricity (61), experiments (55), photosynthesis (21), plants (146)

This bright and cheerful blog offers original interactive whiteboard resources created by a certified SMARTboard trainer. The site is updated often, get notices of updates by email or by following on X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook. To find archived files, search the site using the search box at the top of the page, search archived files by month, or find links to notebook files on the right-hand side of the home page. Especially helpful are the author's notes when posting new files as she offers tips on how to use it in the classroom. An example is the singing horses file (check it out, very funny!) that she uses to help students get used to using an interactive whiteboard while learning cause and effect. Be sure to check out the Facebook page template which includes a template for student use. Since this teacher uses SMART brand IWB, you may need to use SMART Notebook Express reviewed hereto open some files on another brand of whiteboard.

tag(s): iwb (31), literacy (122), numbers (120), resources (83)

This site offers media (found on YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr) on a broad spectrum of topics, not created for kids but appropriate and interesting for children 3 years old and up. Media isn't divided into categories. The newest items appear first. However, you can search the site by keyword. Information ranges from animal stories of a dog without legs to video of Ella Fitzgerald scatting. Obviously, this site is updated frequently, so contents will change. Students and adults alike will love browsing for interesting stories and information.

tag(s): news (228), speaking (26), video (266), writing prompts (61)

Have lots of fun learning about color on ColorCube. Several different activities explore the world of color. In Color Paintbox mix colors from the 5 color palette to recreate the color given on the site. Explore the color systems of hue, saturation, and lightness with Color Slide by deconstructing images to find the various colors within. Try the Color Scrambles puzzle to practice color sequencing and recognition; choices at the bottom of the page allow for easy, intermediate, and difficult puzzles.

tag(s): colors (63), light (56), photography (130)

Find answers to the most interesting and intriguing questions that can be asked. Uncover cool science facts by looking at these answers. Enter a search term to find related questions and answers. Browse categories such as Agriculture, Zoology, Meteorolgy, Food and Nutrition, and Technology. View related resources and other interesting information on each page.

tag(s): agriculture (49), animals (294), climate (84), energy (133), planets (113), plants (146), questioning (36), resources (83), seasons (37)

These multi-media lessons provide an alternative approach for young elementary students or ESL/ELL students trying to learn body parts. With song files and a video, this site makes it easy for language learners to acquire body part name knowledge easily. The video and song lyrics make the "Body Part" lesson entertaining and memorable. There is also a "Make a Face" interactive. To use the video part, download the "Realvideo" player. This is about the only items that are FREE at this site, but they are still worth a look if teaching body parts or expressions of the face.

In order to get the "free" printable cards, worksheets, and acompanying language games you must buy the Teacher's Set, Superpack, or Download Pack. However, the video and songs ARE free and fun!
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): faces (5), human body (93), preK (270), video (266)

View excellent information from an organization of doctors dedicated to publishing the truth about the way our nation eats. Learn about fast food, issues with various types of foods, and characteristics of different types of diets. View issues of the day, current notes, and videos of hot topics.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): fitness (39), myplate (18), nutrition (140)

Here is NASA's site full of space-related activities for kids! Activities range from at home to classroom activities, with all levels of ease.

tag(s): nasa (30), space (222)

WordSift helps anyone easily sift through texts -- just copy and paste any text into WordSift and you can engage in a verbal quick-capture! The program helps to quickly identify important words that appear in the text. After entering text several items will appear, first a word cloud will display the 50 most frequently used words in the text. The most frequently used word will display as a word web in a visual thesaurus. Google image and video search results are also shown. One interesting feature is the ability to click on any of the words in the word cloud to display it in the thesaurus and Google image and video searches. A great way to understand the WordSift tool is to try one of the sample texts offered, such as Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Be sure to check out the "About" link to discover many ideas for use in the classroom. Tips and videos are also available as guides. If you type in a shorter sentence, the site still creates a word cloud using their own related words (not in your original text). Be aware of the advertisements that appear with the word clouds. Advise students not to click on the ads.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): dictionaries (47), reading comprehension (149), reading strategies (96), thesaurus (22), vocabulary (238), vocabulary development (94), word clouds (13), word study (59)

This website is a compilation of completed LiveBinders. LiveBinders4Teachers is separated by subject, grade, and general usage. This would be a great way for a new teacher to get ideas for teaching units. Using a pre-made binder saves time and sheds light on some of the potential of the application. Anyone interested in setting up their own LiveBinders would benefit from using this resource. To learn more about Livebinders and how to make your own, see our full review of LiveBinders here.

tag(s): classroom management (120), teaching strategies (50)

Learn about the body, food, fun, and nutrition with this great site! Take quizzes, find recipes under "Eat," games under "Move," and read bits of information through the "bright papers" under "Learn."

tag(s): cooking (32), fitness (39), nutrition (140)

This webpage provides weekly answers to student submitted questions. Answers are student friendly, and offer pictures to help explain the answer.

tag(s): questioning (36)