Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The Library of Congress Solar Eclipses: A Reference Guide is a comprehensive educational resource designed to support teachers and students in exploring the science, history, and observation of solar eclipses. It offers curated materials for various audiences, including young readers, educators, and general science enthusiasts. The guide features digitized historical eclipse maps and diagrams, expedition reports, instructional books, and links to external resources like NASA and the American Astronomical Society.

tag(s): space (220)

The PBS Mechanics collection features various resources, including videos, audio, documents, lesson plans, and collections for all grades. There are over one thousand resources available to search. Videos are available on exploring jet engine mechanics, aircraft mechanics, career connections, mechanical engineer manager, and many more. There are also mechanics featured that answer questions such as "Why did you become a mechanical engineer?" and "Why did you become a scientist?" Along with individuals discussing their jobs. Lesson plans on communication, history, math, science, and more are posted. Lesson plans contain a summary, time allotted, learning objectives, preparation, procedure, and standards. Filters are available to sort by grade level, subject, resource type, length of video/audio, language, accessibility, and additional features.

tag(s): careers (178), engineering (137)

Snowflakes offers a guide that includes a collection of useful books, articles, and online resources for researching the formation, properties, and history of snowflakes and snowflake observation.

tag(s): snow (18)

View this engineering collection, which includes various resources, including videos, audio, documents, lesson plans, webpages, and collections for kindergarten through twelfth grade. There are over two thousand resources available to search. Videos on robotic and biochemical engineering, parachute design, engineering for the red planet, the reality of plastic, and more are available. Lesson plans range from introducing the engineering process to communicating the solution to magnetic train engineering and more. Lesson plans contain a summary, time allotted, learning objectives, preparation, procedure, and standards. Filters are available to sort by grade level, subject, resource type, length of video/audio, language, accessibility, and additional features. Everything in the collection can be shared via Google Classroom, a link to students, and social sharing. Lessons can also be built upon once you log into the site.

tag(s): careers (178), engineering (137)

PBS LearningMedia's New York portal offers a curated collection of educational resources focused on the electrician profession, suitable for K-12 learning. This collection includes engaging videos that introduce students to the roles and responsibilities of electricians, highlighting the skills and knowledge required in the field. Resources such as "The Electrician: I Can Be What?!" and "Electrician: Job Pop!" provide insights into the daily tasks and career pathways of electricians, making them valuable tools for career exploration and STEM education. Teachers can utilize these materials to enhance lessons on electricity, circuits, and vocational studies, fostering students' understanding of the electrical trade and its significance in various industries.

tag(s): careers (178), electricity (61), STEM (306)

Explore this collection about culinary jobs featuring a variety of resources, including videos, audio, documents, lesson plans, webpages, and collections for grades kindergarten through twelfth. There are thousands of resources available to search. Videos are available on future jobs, culinary chefs, culinary instructors, math at a restaurant, and more. Lesson plans contain a summary, time allotted, learning objectives, preparation, procedure, and standards. Filters are available to sort by grade level, subject, resource type, length of video/audio, language, accessibility, and additional features. Everything in the collection can be shared via Google Classroom, a link to students, and social sharing. Lessons can also be built upon once you log into the site.

tag(s): careers (178), cooking (33)

Discover this Automotive collection provides a wide range of resources for grades K-12, including videos, audio clips, documents, lesson plans, webpages, and curated collections. With over a thousand materials to explore, topics cover areas such as automotive technology instruction, the history of cars, NASCAR, and careers in transportation. Each lesson plan includes a summary, estimated time, learning objectives, preparation guidelines, step-by-step procedures, and alignment to standards. Resources can be easily filtered by grade level, subject, type, media length, language, accessibility, and additional features. Materials are easily shareable via Google Classroom, direct student links, and social media, and registered users have the option to modify and expand upon existing lessons.

tag(s): careers (178)

View this Aviation collection, which offers various resources for grades K-12, including videos, audio clips, documents, lesson plans, webpages, and curated collections. With over a thousand resources available, topics range from helicopter pilots and aviation careers to how bees have influenced flight. Lesson plans highlight figures like Amelia Earhart and explore the science of things that fly, each featuring a summary, time requirements, learning objectives, preparation steps, procedures, and standards alignment. You can filter resources by grade level, subject, resource type, media length, language, accessibility options, and more. Materials can be easily shared through Google Classroom, direct links, or social media, and logged-in users can customize and build upon existing lessons.

tag(s): aviation (41), careers (178)

"I Can Be What?" gives a sneak peek into the world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) careers. Careers highlighted include diesel mechanic, helicopter pilot, wildlife technician, chocolatier, athletic trainer, and more. Each career contains a video explaining it and additional information. Some of the additional information includes links to jobs, related careers, and discussion questions.

tag(s): careers (178), engineering (137)

With this poem generation tool, you can generate poems in several styles from a prompt. Add your prompt, choose a style, and select the poem's length, and voila, your poem appears! Download your poem as a docx document, copy the text, or download it to your device. As you select a poem style, scroll down the page to learn about the style. For example, choose Haiku to read a description of Haiku poetry, information on how Haikus differ from English poems, and FAQs about the origin of Haiku poetry.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), digital storytelling (155), poetry (196)

Illuminate transforms content into podcast-style audio discussions. Begin by searching for a topic or adding a website URL, and select an audio style for the discussion. Illuminate shares website options to include in the output when using the topic option. Members can add more than one link to each discussion. Audio style options include casual, formal, guided, and free-form; descriptions for each style are included as you select a style. Click generate to create your audio; this takes about thirty seconds to complete. Members can play the audio for up to thirty days without saving it, or save it to their library to use at any time, or share it with others using the provided link.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), podcasts (114), Teacher Utilities (203)

Padlet TA is a helpful assistant for creating many educational work documents without requiring registration for most tasks. Options include lesson planning, worksheet creation, text-leveling tools, and more. After choosing a tool, complete the form that asks for information like grade level, topic, and additional context. Add a file, content from Google Drive, a link, or a YouTube video. Adding content from Google Drive requires logging in to a Padlet account. After adding information, click the bright yellow/green bubble next to the form to generate content. When finished, copy the text to a document, export it to Google Docs or PDF, or use the share link to share the URL of a view-only version of your prompt and output.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), assessment (146), images (263), qr codes (19), quizzes (90), rubrics (36), Teacher Utilities (203), worksheets (71)

Jigsaw Planet is an online platform allowing players to create, share, and solve jigsaw puzzles using personal images. While the platform is accessible to participants of all ages, it's important to note participants must be 13 years or older to use certain features according to their Terms of Service. For younger students in grades 4-8, educators can guide them in creating puzzles using age-appropriate images, ensuring compliance with the platform's guidelines. This activity fosters creativity, enhances problem-solving skills, and provides an engaging learning experience.

tag(s): fathers day (14), holidays (194), mothers day (23), puzzles (149)

yEd Live offers tools to create diagrams from scratch or using ChatGPT AI capabilities. Open the sample diagram to view the different types of diagrams, or enter a prompt to generate a diagram. Use yEd's editing tools to change colors, add or remove information, or make additional adjustments to a diagram. You can also use the AI-prompt feature to edit the diagram. When complete, share your diagram by URL, print it, or download it to your device.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), charts and graphs (171), drawing (62), graphic organizers (49), mind map (28)

School Pages is a free site that offers various lessons already created in many subject areas. Lessons can be sorted by grade level (grades 1 through 10) and subject - English, environmental studies, Hindi, math, physical education, science, and social studies. You can access both AI Tools and AI chat if you create a free account. AI tools include a Quiz Generator, a Similar Question Generator, a National Curriculum Framework Assistant, a Lesson Plan Generator, an Opening Hook Generator, an Assignment Generator, and Bloom's Question Generator. The AI chat is similar to a chatbot in that it can assist with teaching strategies, topic explanations, or any other teaching-related questions.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), Teacher Utilities (203)

The Smithsonian Institution website is a valuable resource for educators, offering access to a vast collection of digital exhibitions, lesson plans, and interactive learning tools. Teachers can explore history, science, art, and culture topics through virtual tours, online activities, and curated educational materials from Smithsonian museums, research centers, and libraries. The site includes resources for all grade levels, including printable worksheets, videos, and inquiry-based lesson plans designed to engage students in critical thinking and discovery. It is an excellent tool for supplementing classroom instruction with high-quality, museum-based learning experiences. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): aircraft (17), critical thinking (136), inquiry (30), museums (53), space (220), virtual field trips (132)

The African American Innovation and Invention guide from the Library of Congress highlights the significant contributions of African Americans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This resource provides access to primary sources, including patents, photographs, and historical documents, showcasing groundbreaking achievements in medicine, agriculture, and transportation. Teachers can use this collection to introduce students to influential inventors, start discussions on perseverance and creativity, and encourage research projects on African American innovators. The site supports cross-curricular learning by connecting history, science, and social studies, making it a valuable tool for exploring both historical and modern advancements.

tag(s): african american (119), agriculture (52), photography (131), STEM (306), transportation (30)

Great Lakes Now Collection 4 is a free website based on the prior knowledge introduced in Collections 1-3. New lessons are posted each month to continue building upon knowledge of the Great Lakes. Lessons posted in Collection 4 include Recovering Renewable Resources, Solar Power in Every Season, Bringing Back Buffalo Reef, Citizen Science in the Great Lakes, Venomous Fish, and more. There are usually four activities for each of the topics presented.

tag(s): climate change (100), reefs (6), solar energy (35), water (105)

Great Lakes Now Collection 2 is a free, standards-aligned resource that builds on the foundational concepts introduced in Collection 1. This collection explores both natural and human-made threats to the Great Lakes--the largest source of surface freshwater in the world. With a strong emphasis on environmental impact, students investigate topics such as invasive species, algal blooms, pollution, climate change, and ongoing restoration efforts. The eleven lessons are aligned with NGSS, Common Core, Earth Science, and SEP standards, and include engaging videos and hands-on or interactive activities. Each lesson is hosted on PBS LearningMedia, making it easy to share through platforms like Google Classroom.

tag(s): pollution (53), water (105)

NASA's official website is a rich educational resource for teachers, offering a vast collection of space-related content, lesson plans, videos, and interactive activities. Educators can access STEM-focused classroom materials, student challenges, and real-time NASA mission updates to engage students in space exploration and scientific discovery. The site includes sections on astronomy, engineering, Earth science, and robotics, with resources tailored for different grade levels. Teachers can also find virtual field trips, citizen science projects, and career insights to inspire students interested in space and technology. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): moon (72), planets (113), solar system (107), space (220), stars (71), STEM (306)