Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Morningside Center provides resources for K-12 educators that encourage social responsibility and help develop social and emotional skills. The site was created following 9/11 to help teachers address sensitive issues that arose in the aftermath of the tragedy. Select the Classroom Resources section to find and filter TeachableMoments lessons. Sort by topic area, subject, and grade level or search by keyword. Each lesson includes instructions and background information as well as links to supporting material. The site is constantly updated with lessons relating to current events. Many activities include links to YouTube videos, if your district blocks YouTube; the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): bullying (48), climate change (99), conflict resolution (9), disasters (37), diversity (40), elections (82), holidays (187), Juneteenth (22), politics (118), racism (79), religions (95), social and emotional learning (102), women (151)

Numerade is an interactive science and math platform that contains over one million video lessons taught by top educators from around the US. Engage with the site's content through several different options, including questions found in many textbooks, test prep books, or "Winter Break Bootcamps" that provide short, focused lessons on topics such as calculus and physics. Each lesson is a video explanation of specific questions and uses whiteboards to draw and share information. Registration isn't necessary to view and share videos; it provides the opportunity to create classrooms by importing information from Google Classroom or manually creating a class. Use your class information to build and share playlists with students. Registered users also have the option to create and share videos with students.

tag(s): chemicals (39), genetics (80), statistics (121), STEM (297), test prep (69), variables (14), video (266)

Use this interactive to create a "race against time" newsfeed that challenges students to take notes efficiently. Follow the directions to create a list of items to add to your newsfeed, then add images if desired. Your newsfeed automatically plays and advances through your list; however, it also provides an option to pause during the feed. When finished, use the URL or QR code to share your Newsfeed Generator or use the embed code to embed to your website.

tag(s): game based learning (205)

Adobe Education and Khan Academy have partnered to share guided activities for all grade levels from kindergarten through higher learning. Activities begin with Khan Academy created materials to build knowledge through activities that encourage creation, self-expression, and immersion in the topics provided. Select any topic to view a description and correlation to ISTE learning standards. Topics include math, language and literature, science, and social studies. Sign in to download each lesson to your computer that provides for links to all activities and tutorials for using technology tools included in the activities.

tag(s): branches of government (65), cells (82), digital storytelling (154), environment (252), genetics (80), geometric shapes (134), grammar (137), landmarks (22), map skills (63), molecules (43), multiplication (122), Online Learning (36), parts of speech (39), Problem Based Learning (12), problem solving (233), Project Based Learning (23), Research (87), social and emotional learning (102), STEM (297), stories and storytelling (58)

Do you need background music for a multimedia project? This site is for you! Joystock provides royalty-free music downloads in a variety of different genres. Browse through the options ranging from corporate to hip hop to preview and select from the choices offered. Select download to add to your device. Although Joystick is royalty-free, they do require attribution to use it for free legally. Find all attribution information and faqs at the link describing how to use royalty-free music found at the top of every page.

tag(s): copyright (44), digital citizenship (85), multimedia (53)

Undraw is an open-source resource for image designs to use with any application. Choose from a huge library of images available in PNG and SVG formats. Use the color generator to customize and change the image color to fit your needs. Although only a portion of each image changes color, the effect is significant and very helpful for various needs. Take advantage of the search feature to browse through the many available images that match your criteria. After selecting an image and color, click to open the picture and choose from options to download to your computer as an SVG or PNG file.

tag(s): clip art (11), images (263)

Earth School contains a 30-day nature-focused series of lessons and activities designed for learners of all ages. Each daily Quest includes a video introduction along with a quiz and additional discussion and focus activities. Developed in response to school shutdowns due to the Coronavirus, activities are intended to be self-paced and available for students to complete on any device. Lessons are organized into themes. Create a free account to save and edit activities. Students who complete all 30 activities receive a certificate via email. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): agriculture (49), climate (84), climate change (99), design (79), forests (30), oceans (149), recycling (45), remote learning (54), solar energy (34), STEM (297), Teacher Utilities (198), water (102)

Photopea is an advanced image editor similar to Photoshop but available within your browser for free and doesn't require registration. Files opened in Photopea save to PSD format; however, you can upload JPG and other file formats to use in Photopea to add and edit information. Other options for sharing completed images include publishing products to Imgur in PNG or JPG format. Use the "Learn" link found at the top of the page to access the site's tutorials for using the different features available.
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tag(s): editing (93), images (263)

Track changes to the earth's surface, just like a scientist through this image comparison game. View ten pairs of satellite images to view surface changes, evaluate the causes, and select from options that caused the image changes. Players get two tries to get the correct answer. Along with the right answer, each choice shares the image's location and a short explanation of the featured event.

tag(s): climate change (99), earth (184), landforms (39), population (51), weather (160)

Fresh Folk is a downloadable library of editable people and objects. Enter your email and download the versatile library of items, including mix and match characters and various objects to use when creating scenes. After selecting to download the images, all files are saved to your computer in a zip folder, open the folder to access all of the shared items. All images are in PSD format for use with Photoshop. Use Photoshop tools to edit all features of images, including text, color, layers, and more.

tag(s): editing (93), images (263)

Instantly convert any PDF document into a flipbook using AnyFlip. Add links, audio, video, animation, and other interactive features to create multimedia books by adding a few more steps. After creating an account, upload a PDF document of up to 150 MB, and AnyFlip converts your document to a flipbook that can be shared using a QR code or link. Access the advanced functions by downloading the desktop version that is available for Windows or Macs. The downloadable version includes functions for editing book designs, adding multimedia links, creating clickable hot spots, and more. Free accounts allow up to 150 uploads per month and 100G of storage.

tag(s): conversions (37), ebooks (43), multimedia (53)

Photo Joiner Collage Maker is a free online tool for creating photo collages, with no registration required. Use the sidebar tools to select the number of images, customize the image size, and add a border. Additional features offer the ability to choose from layout options, add text, and create memes. Use the "Add Images" link to upload images, then drag each photograph onto your design template. When complete, download your collage to your device or share it to social media using the links provided.
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tag(s): collages (17), editing (93), images (263), photography (130)

Take the stress out of creating proper citations using Bibliography.com's citation creator; no registration required. Bibliography.com focuses on creating citations using the three major formats - Chicago, APA, and MLA. Enter a book title, author, or URL to begin selecting the appropriate item from the resulting search. If necessary, add edits to the information such as page number or annotation, then create your citation. Copy and paste your citation into any document or download it to Microsoft Word. Although registration isn't required, creating a free account offers you options, including online storage that makes all items saved accessible from any device.

tag(s): citations (33), expository writing (31), persuasive writing (58), plagiarism (34), Research (87)

MyBib is a bibliography and citation generator that offers many different citation styles. Use this simple tool to create and save citations for various resources, including websites, PDFs, and ISBN. Begin by selecting the type of resource from the options bar or drag a PDF onto the site. Follow the prompts that may ask for additional information. When finished, select the download option to copy and add to a document, choose from other options to print, add to Google Drive, and more. Creating an account is optional; however, it allows you to save your citations for future use. MyBib also offers a Chrome extension that creates citations directly from websites.

tag(s): citations (33), expository writing (31), persuasive writing (58), plagiarism (34), Research (87)

World's Largest Lesson provides resources for educators who teach students about 17 Global Goals created by the leaders of the 193 countries of the United Nations. Visit the Resources portion of the site to browse through the many activities. Narrow your search using the provided filters to locate information by grade level, topic, type of activity, and more. In addition, if you are interested in a particular goal, say Zero Hunger, find the poster with the 17 goals and click on Zero Hunger to find activities and lessons. Downloadable lessons include complete directions, printable worksheets, and key questions highlighted during the lesson. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. This site would be a good one to leave for your substitute to use; it's high-interest, no sign-in, and has lesson plans & video clips.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (173), earth (184), energy (133), engineering (129), environment (252), inequalities (25), maps (220), STEM (297), substitutes (25), sustainability (50)