2745 social-studies results | sort by:

Pandora - Pandora Media, Inc.
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): lyrics (15), music theory (45), poetry (192)
In the Classroom
In music classes, use Pandora to open discussion about elements and styles of music. Play a channel long enough for students to hear a few selections, then ask them to figure out what the different songs have in common, perhaps besides an artist. Why does the work of another artist show in the same "channel"? While studying lyrics as poetry in an English/Language Arts class, compare lyrics of songs from the same channel. How are they similar? What other song lyrics might you add to this channel?Use a Pandora channel as background during a discussion of certain decades of the 20th century or have students find/create channels that represent an era such as the Civil War period. Have them explain their "mix" and why it is representative. Play a Pandora channel as a writing prompt or during art activities to promote creative expression. During a unit on how to study, be sure to offer Pandora as a customizable way for students to create an auditory "study environment." World language teachers can find artists whose lyrics use the language they are teaching to build listening skills. Elementary teachers and ESL/ELL teachers can use channels with children's songs for vocabulary or other class activities.
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inklewriter - Joseph Humfrey and Jon Ingold
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative writing (124), digital storytelling (153), narrative (15), persuasive writing (58)
In the Classroom
View stories on the site together to understand the components of the site and discuss how different choices in characters and settings lead to different story outcomes. (Be sure to preview stories before sharing, since there is "public"' content.) Watch the tutorials together on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) before students begin to write stories. Use a graphic organizer to "map out" the story before writing. Create a short story together as a class to become familiar using the site. Assign a group of students to create an interactive story each week to share on your classroom website or blog. Have students create a story map before beginning a story on inklewriter; use a tool such as 25 Language Arts Graphic Organizers, reviewed here. Create class stories to teach about literature, geography, reading comprehension, history, science concepts, and more. As a more "serious" approach, use Inklewriter to present opinion pieces where you take a position and allow readers to click on questions about it. They could also click on statements expressing opposing views so you can write counterarguments to their points. This could end up being a powerful way to present an argument and evidence as required by Common Core writing standards. A graphic organizer for planning and organizing evidence is a must! Teachers of gifted could use this for students to develop elaborate fictional or informational pieces. If you work with students who struggle, scaffold with a template for them to organize their thoughts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SpeakPipe - Speakpipe.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): blogs (65), communication (129), Teacher Utilities (191)
In the Classroom
When installed on a school website, SpeakPipe provides a good way for parents to leave voicemail messages. Unless one of you shares the URL, the communication remains confidential. Download messages to your computer as a simple way for students to record their voice responses for use in a multimedia project on your classroom blog. After posting student work on your classroom website or blog, allow students to record information responding or explaining each project. Encourage emerging readers to record their own voices reading a blog post they write. Auditory learners will truly benefit from this tool. Install this on your class blog or wiki so parents who visit can leave audio comments for the class. World language teachers could post an image on a class web site and ask students to record a response in their new language. School library/media centers can invite students so comment about new books listed on the web page.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Talk Typer - 2012 TalkTyper
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): communication (129), differentiation (83), note taking (36), speech (68), writing (324)
In the Classroom
Talk Typer is a very versatile tool, for students, parents, and teachers alike. Bypass poor typing skills, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and physical disabilities. Use this tool in emails, documents, or anything requiring typed text. Use in your writing class so students can either write or edit their work. Use when you are in a hurry with emails requiring long text. Use for your newsletters or family emails. Share this on your class website and at Back to School Night. Emerging literacy students will enjoy the success they have with their oral language into written word. Improve content and forget about mechanics of writing or typing. Focus in on grammar and mechanics after seeing the recognized mistakes. Include this website on every tool bar and as a favorite on your class web page. ELL students can speak English, play it back, and correct it until it "sounds right" and expresses their ideas correctly.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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How to embed almost anything in your website - Amit Agarwal
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): images (260), photography (123), portfolios (23), resources (84), video (264)
In the Classroom
If you have students creating projects using online tools, embedding is often the best way for them to collect projects all in one place. Often the tools are not clear about how to manage the details of embedding, to this reference is very helpful. If your students create ME-portfolios to showcase their work to colleges or potential employers, embedding is a must. Link to this site from your class web page of general resources to help today's tech-savvy students learn how to embed from various applications. Provide this link on your class website, wiki or blog for students (and parents) to access at school and at home. Teachers can create a class wiki or web site using embedding, even in school-subscription web site services. Share your elementary class's creative projects by embedding them on your class site so parents can see their great work. This site wil help you learn how.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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IconBug.com - ClipArt Free - IconBug 2011
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): clip art (11), creative commons (28), images (260)
In the Classroom
Share this link with your students so they have safe images to use in projects beyond the standard images in their computer software. If you worry that students will spend far too much time making up their minds, download a smaller collection, including the links to give proper credit, to share locally as part of a project assignment. Use clipart to spice up your activity sheets and rubrics. Use clipart images in learning support, speech and language, or life skills classrooms to teach words using images. This method could also be applied for students learning a new language. World language teachers can create a presentation of pictures and speak the words in the world language to help students learn. An extension of this type of activity could also be helpful with ENL/ESL students in your classroom. The handy icons here would also work well for sharing link collections visually using a tool such as Symbaloo, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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40 Interesting Ways to Use QR Codes in the Classroom - Tom Barrett
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): qr codes (18)
In the Classroom
Choose one of the ideas suggested in the slideshow as a starting point for using QR codes. Try additional ideas one at a time. Share the slideshow with other teachers and split up the ideas for each to become an "expert" in one of the strategies. Share your experiences as you learn together. Challenge your students to dream up other uses for the codes. As a service project, students could create a QR code school "tour" or add QR codes for students to use while waiting in the cafeteria line to access nutrition information about today's menu.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cropp.me - imagga
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): images (260), photography (123)
In the Classroom
Quickly and easily crop pictures and images to any desired size for use in projects and presentations. Share with students to use with projects and presentations for making images uniform in size.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Playfic - Andy Baio and Cooper McHatton
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): creative writing (124), creativity (86), digital storytelling (153), gamification (82), mysteries (23), puzzles (149)
In the Classroom
"Gamification" of learning is a hot topic in 21st century learning. Use this simple tool to make it happen. Use for any digital storytelling: fact or fiction. In social studies, have students create an interactive game based on life during the Depression or any historic era. Have them create a "Where in the world is ..." for geography. World language students could make a simple game (in the language they are studying) about daily life. Gifted students will love creating games on their favorite topics, so make this a research-and-create-a-game approach for independent projects. Science students could make a game about what might happen in certain weather or life as a fossil. Have your language arts students create mystery or survival stories or even a different ending to a story you've read together. Warning: all stories are PUBLIC and your students will be able to view other's stories. You'll either want to have a class account or monitor this closely.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teach Preschool - Promoting Excellence in Early Childhood Education - Deborah J. Stewart
Grades
K to 2This site includes advertising.
tag(s): alphabet (53), counting (60), density (18), dental health (14), firstday (22), numbers (120), phonics (51), plants (147), preK (269)
In the Classroom
Search the site for ideas. Save them to your Pinterest account, reviewed here to find for later use. Bookmark the site as a resource for teaching ideas. Subscribe to this blog via Facebook, Twitter, or email to receive the latest blog updates.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PDFescape - Red Software
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): Teacher Utilities (191)
In the Classroom
Use to alter documents that may have been saved as a PDF in the past. Save this site in your professional resources. If you work with students who request college recommendations or need to fill out forms for scholarships or jobs, be sure to share this tool with them!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List: Immigrants and Immigration - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (166), immigrants (34), immigration (68)
In the Classroom
Allow students to select books at their own level to understand immigrants and how their own ancestors may have felt upon arriving in the U.S. Perhaps have them write a blog post as if they had just arrived. Have students meet in literature circles as they discuss these books or hold an immigration day where students share the experiences they have read and how immigrants contribute to the many cultures in the U.S.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List: Slavery - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (166), civil war (139), slavery (78), underground railroad (15)
In the Classroom
As you study the Civil War and slavery, let students select books from this collection of fiction and historical fiction. As we honor and move beyond the 150th anniversary of many Civil War events, what better way for students to make a more personal connection to the people who lived during those tumultuous times.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PDFmyURL - OpenTracker.net
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use this site to print any web page without all of the headings and other extras that generally appear. Make print outs for students to practice highlighting and looking for main ideas in informational texts (especially if you do not have an interactive whiteboard to do this). Upload PDF's to your website for student use of single pages of websites instead of having students go through unneeded pages. Be sure to show students that you must make a note of the DATE when you made the pdf, since you should always include the "date accessed" in a project bibliography entry for a web site. Talk about "fair use" in making web page copies for temporary use as part of research or class activities vs copying web pages to hang them up as locker decorations! This may be a good site to share with parents via your website. (Help them save paper and print only what they need, not an entire website.)Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ClipChoose - ClipChoose.com
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): polls and surveys (49)
In the Classroom
Challenge students to create their own polls then search for YouTube videos to support or explain each response. Create a ClipChoose poll as a teacher or whole class. Have students respond then write a response using quotes from videos to back up their choice. Administer a poll, then use the data for graphing practice. Display sample polls (made by you or the class) and data for practice with interpreting graphs. Collect parent or student opinions about any topic. Take a poll at back to school night to find out what parents' greatest concerns or misconceptions are. Obtain quick feedback from students about which curriculum topics are confusing them. Allow students to create polls as part of critical thinking exercises such as how poll wording may bias the results. Encourage students to include polls in oral presentations to increase audience engagement. Teach students about types of propaganda using up to 8 example videos in ClipChoose. Ask students to select the one that demonstrates the use of a particular propaganda technique.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PDF Converter - pdfconverter.com
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): worksheets (69)
In the Classroom
Ever find really neat activity sheets, but they need to be tweaked a little to make them work for your classes? This tool helps you save time by allowing you to edit PDF files in Word to avoid reinventing the wheel. (Beware of copyrighted materials, however). Science teachers can take lab activities and refine questions or add instructions as needed for their classrooms. English teachers can add standardized test prompts to preexisting general worksheets to tailor the activity to suit their state's test needs. This is a helpful utility for students entering contests or completing applications offered only in PDF form.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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AllSides - John Gable
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): elections (82), evaluating sources (28), media literacy (108), politics (118)
In the Classroom
This is an excellent site to easily find topics presented from various points of view. Use articles with students to demonstrate point of view in writing, bias in media, or for students to use as points for debates. Use an online tool such as Interactive Three Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to create a visual comparison of different points of view.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sub Hub - Rachel Friedrich
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (120), newbies (11), substitutes (25)
In the Classroom
Regular classroom teachers might want to share this in their emergency lesson plans for subs. Substitutes, don't go into the classroom empty handed. Bookmark this useful website (or make it a TeachersFirst Favorite so you can find it anytime) and be prepared for the unexpected! New teachers and student teachers can learn from the many tips. If you are mentoring or working with a student teacher, share some of these ideas. For even more, be sure to check out Teachers First's Ideas and Resources for Substitutes here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Promethean Planet - Promethean, Inc
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Before you try any of these activities, think about how you can make the lesson more student-centered. Find ideas in TeachersFirst's Hands off, Vanna! Giving Students Control of Interactive Whiteboard Learning . Browse the site for interactive whiteboard resources to download for classroom use. Bookmark and save favorites for later use. Download any resource, then tweak it to your individual needs. Have questions about creating Promethean Flipcharts? Post your question on the technical board to receive helpful replies. If you have a SmartBoard, be sure to check out the SmartBoard lessons and resources page located here. You will need to download the ActivInspire software (free).Comments
This is the go-to site for Promethean flipchart downloads. Most files were created by teachers. The only downside is that the files are hit-or-miss. There are many gems, but you might have to browse some not-so-great files to find them.Tim, , Grades: 0 - 6
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Rooh it: Instant Web Highlighter - RoohIt, Inc
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): browser (8), note taking (36)
In the Classroom
Consider using this tool as a way to direct students to specific points of web pages. Include directions in your notes. Assign specific tasks, such as pre-reading questions using the notes feature. Even without "sharing" a URL, use this resource to keep track of specific points for discussion later. Have students use this tool for research papers and other projects. Share current events with others, highlighting specific points. Simply paste the highlighted URLs into a word doc to save and reopen later. Use this resource as an organizational tool for content found on the web. Have students annotate their own pages including their own pre-reading questions, main idea sentences, or summaries using highlighting and notes on a text-based page. Have them explicate poetry, annotate motifs in online literary works, point out fallacies in arguments used in blog posts, or highlight evidence of bias in web page content. They can "turn in" their assignments to you or share them with classmates by URL.Keep a word document with the URLs to your annotated pages and notes about what they are if you plan to assign them to students. If you plan to use this as a TEACHER only, there are no safety/security concerns at all. Be sure to check with your IT department about installing bookmarklets and using this site on district computers. No registration is required. Encourage students to use this responsibly and not highlight information considered inappropriate for school.
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