Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Create your own Roman Mosaic with this interesting online tool. Choose a color and mosaic piece then click to add to your design. When complete, copy and paste the code generated into a word processor file. Learn more about Roman designs by clicking links to information about the different patterns such as Greek Key, Maze, and Knot.

tag(s): patterns (61), romans (52)

Read about power and strength in those with disabilities and disease through the short stories at The Mighty. Formed on the premise that our greatest challenges become our greatest opportunities, each short story tells a tale of positive inspiration in facing a challenge. Browse the home page to find the latest articles or use the keyword search to find information on a specific topic. Be sure to browse the Archives, too!

tag(s): disabilities (32), diseases (66)

Revise your writing using After the Deadline's grammar checker. At this simple demonstration you copy and paste any text or document into the box. Click on "Check Writing" to receive feedback. The site provides color-coded suggestions for revisions in spelling, grammar, or style. If you like After the Deadline, they offer an add-on for the Firefox web browser and an extension for the Google Chrome web browser. There are also plug-ins for self-hosted WordPress blogs and forums.

tag(s): editing (93), proofreading (21), writing (325)

Create random groups quickly with the Group Maker Tool. Click "Create a Group Now" to begin and follow prompts to set up your groups. You will need to provide an email and create a password for your group. Add up to 100 names to your class list. Choose the number of groups to make. You can even choose to make pairs!

tag(s): Teacher Utilities (198)

Learn English 232 offers up to date video lessons on current English slang, phrasal verbs, and common phrases. Each video is under 5 minutes to provide quick information for English Language Learners. WARNING: this site does include some mature content (slang). PREVIEW before sharing with the class.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): idioms (30), slang (15), vocabulary development (94)

Type an address into a mapping site and you get a bird's eye view of nearly any address with sometimes startling detail. But what if you could go back in time and get an aerial view of that same address 50 years ago? Or 100 years ago? Historic Aerials provides both aerial photographs and historical topographical maps of most areas of the US (a few remote areas and all of Alaska are not included). Information is continually being added to the database. This is a commercial site focused on selling these images for a fee, but browsing the images is free. Each image does contain a fairly prominent "copyright protected" watermark which is distracting, but does not prevent the images from being useful.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): map skills (63), maps (220)

Learn how to touch type or increase your touch typing speed and accuracy with this handy resource! You can practice with NO registration. But if you want to keep track of your progress, registration is suggested. You can sign up with your email or Google or Facebook account. Use the cloud to store your results. This enables use of this tool anywhere, anytime. There is a thorough slide tutorial when first arriving at the site. You can find it again under the Help section. The tutorial explains how the lessons are set up, what you will see on your screen, and what each feature does. You do not have to register to use this site, only to track your progress.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): computers (109), keyboarding (28)

2015 marked the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, one of the founding documents of modern democratic society. In recognition of this anniversary, this committee collected a number of resources for celebrating and understanding its significance to history. There is a timeline that highlights events prior to and following the signing of Magna Carta. Essays discuss Magna Carta's impact on modern democracy. A map places events in geographic contexts. And perhaps you're planning a trip to the UK for the celebrations? Find visitors' resources and a calendar of commemorative events. Check out the resources under Schools, including biographies of those involved (including a whole section on women) in the development of the document. There are lesson plans aligned with the UK's school system, and a quick Q&A overview of the importance of Magna Carta today. Don't miss the YouTube video explaining the work of Britain's Parliament in just over 60 seconds. If your district blocks YouTube, then this video (and others) may not be viewable.

tag(s): branches of government (65), democracy (24), great britain (16)

Teaching about World War I usually involves a little international politics, a little national politics, and a side trip into the innovations of waging war. Why not include something a little more personal and relatable--like food? Four short (under 5 minutes) videos introduce the idea that Americans' role in providing food aid to Europe in the early stages of the war was part of the larger Progressive movement. The videos also focus on the actual preparation of a World War I era meal. Information about the actual recipes is interwoven with further political and cultural commentary about life in the US during the World War I era. Videos are hosted on Vimeo, so Flash isn't required.

tag(s): nutrition (140), world war 1 (77)

At Getty Collection Images, select from thousands of photos. Explore more than 100 years of photography from Woodrow Wilson to the present. Click the Explore Art tab, and find Teaching Materials and Podcasts both with numerous topics for teaching. For most of this collection, the watermark has been dropped, and the service appends a footer at the bottom of the picture with credit and a link to the licensing page. Creating an account is optional. There is also a video category; however this review is about the images only.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): images (263), photography (130)

See photographs and captions of current daily news from around the world. In addition to showing professional pictures, you can contribute your own special photos. Each photo included a clickable caption. Click on the caption to view more photos and read simple explanations.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): news (228), newspapers (93), photography (130)

Find scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, webquests, or extend learning using Trackstar. To make a track, think of a descriptive title, and write a description. Select from creating a Resource list, Worksheet, Extended learning, or Demo. Collect up to 15 websites (know the page title and URL) and create annotations or directions. Viewing the track in frames will have the titles of pages in the left menu bar. Click on the title and the text of the page appears in the center. Any links that are on the page in the center will open in a new tab. Search ready-made Tracks to get an idea of how they work. Viewing tracks in Chrome is possible, but this tool does not seem to work with Chrome to create tracks.

tag(s): bookmarks (43), curation (32), gamification (83), webquests (8)

Create a 3 Circle Venn Diagram with ease! Print out this graphic organizer and provide a title and label the three circles. Decide whether to make a list for each circle first, or start writing directly on the circles. The Venn Diagram allows for generating concepts (ideas, words) and placing them in any of the three circles, or the overlapping area. There is no registration required.

tag(s): graphic organizers (48), venn diagrams (15)

The Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP) is a resource for providing differentiated instruction to gifted/talented (G/T) students. It is also a resource for providing enrichment for any and all students. The site includes materials for grade levels K-12 sorted by grade bands. Each band through 10th grade provides two or more interdisciplinary units including guided instruction as well as opportunity for independent research. The high school (or exit level) band provides for independent study under the guidance of a mentor who is an expert in the student's area of study. All materials are aligned to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.

tag(s): differentiation (84), gifted (66)

Build your understanding of the U.S. economy through a creative, well-organized collection of short films (5-8 min) designed to explain 20 key concepts that any informed citizen needs to understand. Unlike many informational films, these are quite engaging. The collection is divided into five chapters on Economy, Money, The Role of Government, Globalization, and Inequality. All of us can better understand how our economy works from watching these films and exploring some of the follow-up discussion suggestions, even among adults. Teachers can obtain a link to free, downloadable lesson materials, activities, and extensions by filling out a form with their email address. (The email comes within a few minutes, but watch your SPAM filter. Requesting the link via a home email may be better to avoid school filtering!) The teacher materials include correlations to CCSS standards in ELA, Math, and Writing. The content of the films and lessons supports many major concepts of economics and government included in state and other standards. App versions are available for both iOS and Android.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), financial literacy (93), money (113), supply and demand (5)

Indiana University's Center on Congress partners with the Library of Congress and its effort to promote teaching with primary sources to provide a rich set of resources, lesson plans, and activities related to the history, function, and actions of the US Congress. Activities are divided by theme, such as citizen participation, criticism of Congress, and the impact of Congress. Many activities include comics to keep your attention. There is a good overview of using primary sources in teaching. Lesson plans are tied to state standards. In addition to the lesson plans developed by the Center on Congress, there is also a bank of teacher-submitted lesson plans.

tag(s): branches of government (65), civil rights (209), comics and cartoons (55), congress (40), politics (118), primary sources (117), womens suffrage (52)

Advanced study of history requires increased attention to primary sources. Collected here are over 1,000 newspaper editorials written in the 16 months leading up to the start of the US Civil War. Along with a useful timeline of events during the same period, the site offers search either by the location of the publication or by the name of the publication. Editorials come from newspapers across the US, not just from those in states most often associated with the Civil War. The opinion expressed may offer a fresh perspective on what people were thinking just prior to the firing on Ft. Sumter. For example, we might view Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest of American Presidents, but an editorial from the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Daily Patriot and Union concludes with the words, "We confess we shudder as we contemplate the future in the person of this weak and ignorant man." (February 21, 1861).

tag(s): civil war (139), newspapers (93), primary sources (117)

Organize student Google documents with Doctopus! This tool is essential for organizing of documents both to and from students. Create a Google Doc template. Next, create a spreadsheet containing the students who will be using the document. When you install Doctopus as a Chrome add-on, a Doctopus folder is created in Google Docs. Be sure that the template you create and the spreadsheet containing student names are in that folder. A script needs to be installed to pull the student names from the spreadsheet and then send them the document. Find simple directions with screenshots here. Doctopus is a Google Chrome add-on and is available for Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, and Linux. This add-on is not available for Windows RT, iPad, or mobile devices as of this time.

tag(s): assessment (147), collaboration (93)

Is there a climate change? What conditions on the Earth have changed over time? Find answers to these questions and more with this free tool. Choose from the following in the menu bar: Sea Ice, Sea Level, Carbon Emissions, and Average Global Temperature. Drag the slider to show the differences in each of the four areas from 1979 to 2022. Read an explanation of consequences of these changes below the slider.

tag(s): antarctica (30), arctic (40), carbon dioxide (9), carbon footprint (5), climate (84), climate change (99), temperature (34)

Can't take a field trip to NYC? Visit the Statue of Liberty virtually! View the virtual tour and photo gallery for Lady Liberty. See the site for specific instructions on how to use this interactive.

tag(s): american revolution (82), art history (102), landmarks (22), virtual field trips (128)