Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Discover this interesting infographic comparing two leaders of the Civil War. Learn about Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee with comparisons of both their personal life and careers. Information also includes famous battles during the Civil War and their careers following the war. Scroll past the infographic to view sources used and additional information.

tag(s): 1800s (75), civil war (139)

Gojimo is a quiz-taking app (and online site) for high school English, math, science, geography, and more. Although created for British students, quizzes are suitable for students in any country. Choose "Study Online" to begin using Gojimo on your computer or device, then choose a topic. Immediate feedback is provided to let you know if answers are correct. Each question also includes a short explanation of the topic. There is no registration to take quizzes; however, to save them and have your Gojimo results on any device, registration is necessary.

tag(s): quiz (67), quizzes (90), test prep (69)

Watch the growth of human population from 1 CE through 2050 with this interactive map and timeline. A five-minute video provides an overview of population growth, use the drop-down box to view the video in several different languages. Personalize your viewing experience to adjust features on the map with themes, overlays, and map dots. Click on the timeline below the map to view additional information about events throughout time. Choose the menu to find all the resources on this site, including several lesson plans.

tag(s): advanced placement (26), conservation (102), environment (252), population (51)

TRAILS is a free online, interactive student assessment using multiple-choice questions on a variety of information literacy skills based on 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th grade standards. This easy, flexible tool is for school librarians and teachers to identify strengths and weaknesses in the information-seeking skills of their students. TRAILS can be used for formative and summative evaluations in five category areas: Develop Topic, Identify Potential Sources, Use Search Strategies, Evaluate Sources and Information, Use Information Responsibly, Ethically, and Legally.

tag(s): assessment (147), digital citizenship (85), media literacy (109)

Designed as an interactive online course this site helps high school students develop the sophisticated research skills needed for college and careers, an important component of most standards. The formal research process is broken down into six steps: Asking Good Questions, Finding Information, Selecting the Best, Putting It Together, Your Presentation, and Making the Grade. Students work through a variety of activities linked from outside sites, including reading articles, watching videos, and completing worksheets. Each module is introduced by Voki avatars, reviewed here. Several popular research tools, such Zotero, reviewed here, and Evernote, reviewed here, are introduced. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): blended learning (37), citations (33), classroom management (120), digital citizenship (85), evaluating sources (29), inquiry (24), media literacy (109), note taking (36), organizational skills (88), plagiarism (34), Research (87), search strategies (22)

Stay up to date with the latest news and information from the Rio Summer Olympics with these videos from USA Today. Topics include how to watch little-known sports such as wrestling and archery. Subscribe to this channel to receive updates as new content is added. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): olympics (45), south america (47), sports (82)

Discover the tens of thousands officially designated New York City landmarks with this interactive map. Landmarks include individual buildings, districts, interiors, and scenic landmarks. Also included are sites up for consideration to be official landmarks. Zoom in on the map to view items, or use the search to find specific landmarks. Click on any point to view information, then click on the included link for further details.

tag(s): 1900s (72), 20th century (62), images (263), local history (14), maps (220), new york (24), photography (130)

Don't let the business in the name fool you, this YouTube channel is all about science! Watch videos with the latest news in science, space, and medicine with new content added each week. Scroll through the page to find the latest videos or explore playlists with topics such as Explainers and Psychology. Most videos run less than three minutes in length, making them perfect for a snack-sized bite of science information! If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): animals (294), brain (56), climate change (99), dinosaurs (43), drugs and alcohol (28), earth (184), human body (93), nutrition (140), planets (113), plants (146), scientists (67), space (222), STEM (297), weather (160)

This YouTube video takes viewers behind the scenes to learn about filming Beluga Whales as they gather in Canada each summer. Although the video is quite short, there is extensive information about the project included in the video summary. If your district blocks YouTube, then the video may not be viewable.
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tag(s): climate change (99), migration (45), oceans (149), whales (11)

Create personalized crossword puzzles to embed on your blog or website with this easy puzzle creator. View the help for the directions and examples. It is as simple as typing a question on each line followed by an asterisk, then the correct answer. When complete, submit to view your puzzle online and choose from different options for sharing. Also, you can download puzzles as PDF documents.

tag(s): crosswords (19), puzzles (149)

Learn fire safety tips and information from this informative guide for kids and caregivers. Scroll through to learn facts about causes of fires, universal prevention and preparedness steps, and creating a plan for escaping fires.

tag(s): fire (22), fire prevention (16), fire safety (16)

Keep up to date with the latest 2016 Summer Olympic news from Rio de Janeiro at the official site of the Olympic Games. Follow individual sports through links featuring background on each event, photo galleries, and features on Olympians to watch. Learn more about the athletes and countries by choosing the respective links. Follow this site for the latest information on results, medal counts, photos, videos, and all things Olympic.

tag(s): olympics (45), seasonal (16), south america (47), sports (82), summer (28)

Get into the excitement of the Summer 2016 Olympic Games with these 16 fun facts! These facts include information about the host city, Rio de Janiero, as well as facts about Olympic games and events. This article provides just enough information to whet your appetite for the games, and learn more about the events!
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tag(s): olympics (45), south america (47)

Learn the basics about scholarships through this informative infographic and supporting information. Discover facts such as the number of scholarships distributed annually (of course, this changes each year), where the money comes from, and little-known scholarship offerings. Click on the infographic image to open the full version in a new tab for easier viewing

tag(s): college (45), financial aid (13), infographics (56)

GeoInquiries offers standards-based collections for teaching map-based concepts. Choose from several different content topics such as Earth Science, US History, and more. Locate the complete list of available collections on the left side of the homepage. After choosing a broad topic, select a specific activity, then click to open the PDF for easy access to content. In addition to the GeoInquiries, this site also includes several additional lengthier activities including all necessary teacher and student materials.

tag(s): agriculture (49), american revolution (82), civil war (139), climate change (99), cold war (30), demographics (13), earthquakes (46), landforms (39), maps (220), minerals (13), oceans (149), population (51), rocks (35), volcanoes (55), weather (160), world war 1 (77)

Create multimedia and interactive ebooks that work on tablets and computers for free with ePubEditor. Create your account to begin, then follow prompts to upload images and text with optional image, video, or audio. Other options allow you to create quizzes with different responses such as multiple choice, matching, or drag and drop response. Allow others to edit and add to your book using the share editing option. When complete, publish and share your book using the created URL or download in different formatting options including epub and PDF.
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tag(s): assessment (147), digital storytelling (154), ebooks (43)

Turn your typing into cool rhythmic beats with TypeDrummer. Listen to your creation as you continue typing into the box. For a change of pace, switch from the drumbeat to the song "Fool" by Moon Bounce. Click on "load new samples" only. Warning: Clicking on "Fool" will take you out of the TypeDrummer tool. After finishing your creation, use the link to share with others at the URL created for you.

tag(s): back to school (55), musical instruments (52), rhythm (21), sound (72)

Create attractive newspapers, brochures, and posters with the interactive tool, Printing Press. No log-in is required. Just choose which format you want, from one of five templates, and upload images. Choose text features and type or paste the text. Edit your work, if needed, before printing, downloading it as a PDF, or share through email. Save your draft to your computer to continue at a later date. Find a basic planning sheet, here, in the overview, to help students gather ideas. Turn the sound off or on at the top right.

tag(s): book reports (28), creative writing (124), newspapers (93), posters (43)

Spice up PowerPoint presentations beyond the templates included with your software! Free PowerPoint Templates offers over 7000 templates available for free download. Browse by theme, top rated, categories, tags, or colors. You can also use the keyword search to find a specific look. Be very careful with all of the advertising to locate the download link - they will have a .zip at the end of the title and are located under the description of the template.
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tag(s): slides (43)

This interactive provides up-to-date information about global conflicts, and specifically the impact on U.S. interests. Colors display the impact on the U.S. with red being more critical and green as limited. Hover over any highlighted area to learn the area affected. Click to find out more such as the number of people affected, recent developments, and background about the conflict. Use filters to view information by region or different types of conflict.

tag(s): conflict resolution (9), cross cultural understanding (173), cultures (180), journalism (74), maps (220), terrorism (41), terrorist (12)