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50 Mini-Lessons for Teaching Student Research Skills - Kathleen Morris
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): citations (32), Research (84), search strategies (22)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this page to use as a reference when teaching research skills. Consider using this site as a beginning outline of research skills to teach throughout the year then divide each topic into a unit for planning purposes. Use digital tools to reinforce and enhance the lessons. For example, when using the ideas for teaching how to clarify questions, begin with choosing a topic idea. It states to write as many questions as you can for an idea such as koalas. Gather student ideas on your whiteboard, then create a word cloud using Wordsift, reviewed here, to highlight recurring ideas and thoughts. Use this information as a starting point for research, and ask students to share online information into Padlet, reviewed here. Ask older students to use Fiskkit, reviewed here, as a collaborative tool for sharing and discussing online articles. Fiskkit includes tools for sharing online articles and adding highlights and notes with others. Upon completion of research projects, ask students to share their learning using a multimedia presentation tool like Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Have students include original work, images, videos, and more to share their research projects.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Classkick - Andrew Rowland and Peter Do
Grades
K to 12tag(s): assessment (143), collaboration (90), Learning Management Systems (20), Teacher Utilities (183)
In the Classroom
Use Classkick in class, for blended learning or remote learning since you can see all students working from anywhere. Use Classkick to differentiate instruction based on students' current performance. Many students are motivated to learn at their own pace using online tools, and Classkick is an option providing lessons in a different format than currently available. If not using Classkick whole - class, it provides many options for helping and enhancing learning for individual students, use for homework, or as a temporary option for providing instruction to home-bound or remote learning students. As students learn through this type of management system, ask them to use a portfolio tool such as Majara, reviewed here, to document and reflect upon their learning process.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Earth Voyager - Google Earth
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): digital storytelling (153), maps (215)
In the Classroom
Although this site is useful for many purposes, sometimes it is best just to let students explore and discover on their own. Share Voyager with students and allow them time to look around and select places that intrigue them. Encourage them to learn more about an area or subject of interest found on the site. Instead of writing down information, ask students to use Google Docs or Microsoft Word to begin research. Using these online documents affords many benefits, including the ability to add comments, highlight information, and add links to online information. Once research is underway, suggest that students use a bookmarking tool like Raindrop.io, reviewed here, to organize information. Raindrop.io includes the ability to add notes to bookmarks, making it easy for students to label and add information for later use. As a final project and to extend student learning, ask students to create their own virtual tour of a location using Odyssey, reviewed here to create a story map that includes images, videos, and text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Slido - Slido.com
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): Formative Assessment (72), polls and surveys (49), quizzes (90)
In the Classroom
Use Slido to engage students and for use as a formative assessment tool. When introducing a new unit, use Slido as a pre-assessment to determine student knowledge and guide instruction. Use the anonymous feature to make it easy for students to ask questions in real-time without raising their hand and identifying themselves. Share Slido with students to use during presentations to interact with peers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lewis and Clark - History.com
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), jefferson (19), lewis and clark (14), westward expansion (39)
In the Classroom
Include this site with your resources for units involving American expansion, Thomas Jefferson, the French and Indian War, the Louisiana Purchase, or any related topics. Use an online teachers' utility like Actively Learn, reviewed here, to curate and distribute websites, videos, and more to students. In addition to the curation of resources, Actively Learn offers tools for student note-taking and assessments. When sharing this Lewis and Clark page with students, use Fiskkit, reviewed here, to collaboratively discuss the information found on the site, or for students to post notes and questions. Engage students in their own learning and ask them to create a book telling the story of Lewis and Clark using Book Creator, reviewed here. Ask students to include videos, online articles, and their own work to tell the story of Lewis and Clark's expedition. As students become more familiar with the expedition and the time period, ask them to create podcasts using Anchor, reviewed here, to retell the story of their journey. Another option is to ask students to create a timeline using Timeline JS, reviewed here, or choose from other timeline creation tools located here to tell the story using maps, videos, primary sources, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Advertising All Around Us - MediaSmarts
Grades
5 to 8tag(s): advertising (26), media literacy (107)
In the Classroom
Take the ideas and activities found in this lesson plan and enhance them with these lesson extensions. During the first activity, the author suggests taking the name of five products and giving a new humorous name. Take that idea further and ask students to design a print ad using Canva, reviewed here, and using the new product name. Ask students to include a slogan for the product along with imagery promoting the virtues of the item. The second lesson activity asks students to create a new ad to replace one that is boring and unimaginative. Ask students to create a video ad using Clipchamp, reviewed here, or another animated video creation tool. As an alternative, have students use Image Annotator, reviewed here, to create annotated images with links to text, videos, and more. As a final project, students create and plan their own ad. Extend learning by asking students to plan and implement a complete ad campaign, including print, video, and online advertising. Before planning their advertisements, ask students to share examples of effective advertising to an online collaboration tool like Padlet, reviewed here. Include links and images of effective advertising along with comments sharing ideas on why and how the ad works. Have students (or student groups) share their ad campaigns using a multimedia presentation tool like Wakelet, reviewed here. Include links to research, student-created projects, and more all within their Wakelet presentation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Whimsical Mind Maps - Whimsical
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): charts and graphs (170), mind map (27)
In the Classroom
Assign students to "map" out a chapter or story. Assign groups to create study guides using this tool. Use this tool for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics. Use this to create family trees or food pyramids in family and consumer science. Have students collaborate (online) to create group mind maps or review charts before tests on a given subject. Have students organize any concepts you study. They can color-code concepts to show what they understand, wonder, and question. Have students map out a story, plotline, or plan for the future. Students can also map out a step-by-step process (such as a life cycle or how to solve an equation). Use the wireframe option to create interesting images mimicking screen displays found on computers, phones, and mobile devices. Enhance and extend student learning by asking students to include their "map" as part of a final presentation created using a multimedia presentation tool like Wakelet, reviewed here, or as part of a digital book created using Book Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Primary Sources Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): primary sources (116), Research (84)
In the Classroom
Use these tools to help students to understand primary sources, research, and more. Find tools for students to use to research when doing projects or studying for an exam.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teacher Utilities Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): Teacher Utilities (183)
In the Classroom
Find new tools to try in your classroom, for communication with families and more. Each review includes classroom use ideas. Read the details of each tool and find the ones that will make your tasks easier to manage.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Field Guide to Fake News and Other Information Disorders - Liliana Bounegru and others
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): internet safety (113), journalism (73), news (228)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use with any social media lessons. Use the entire book or choose from selected chapters or sections. Enhance learning by encouraging students to reflect on and discuss the information found in the book through the use of Fiskkit, reviewed here. Fiskkit is a collaborative tool for sharing and discussing online articles, add the URL of this book into Fiskkit to create a document where students can highlight and comment on any portion of the information. When working with research projects, suggest that students use iCyte Education, reviewed here, to save quotes and cite information found. iCyte is a browser add-on that makes citations and saving online information easy for you and your students. As a final project, and to extend learning, have students create explainer videos using CapCut, reviewed here to share their tips on how to find and deal with "fake news."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PmWiki - Patrick R. Michaud
Grades
K to 12tag(s): social networking (61), wikis (14)
In the Classroom
If you have not tried a wiki yet, visit the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through for a detailed, step-by-step explanation and starter help, including dozens of ideas for ways to use a wiki in your classroom. Before implementing this site with your classroom, take some time to teach students how to edit and add information. This site is not WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), meaning that when editing a page, you see the markup information. Allow students time to play in the site's "sandbox" as a way to preview and learn how to add information. Create and use a wiki to collaborate and compile information on any classroom research projects. For example, have your class work together to add resources and web links when researching causes of the Civil War, plants and animals found within different habitats, or share math problem-solving ideas and links. Use your wiki for small group projects and ask students to share a synopsis of group meetings along with a compilation of websites and videos used in their research.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Global Youth Perspectives - Global Oneness Project
Grades
K to 12tag(s): africa (144), alaska (22), anthropology (10), cross cultural understanding (172), cultures (172), empathy (33), india (32), middle east (49), native americans (108), Project Based Learning (23), psychology (65), scotland (8), south africa (13), south america (40), sustainability (45)
In the Classroom
Utilize these free lesson ideas and videos to incorporate into any lessons on tolerance, empathy, culture, and to bring a personal touch to learning about nations around the world. Consider using the embed code found in each video and add the video to your class website for students to view at home before your lesson. Ask students to provide a short response to the video on an online bulletin board like Pinside, reviewed here, then use these responses to guide your lesson. The following ideas lend themselves to using this resource for project-based learning or blended learning: At the start of students' ongoing research, share How to Research: Ultimate Guide, reviewed here. Enhance learning by using information learned to create infographics with Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Instead of a typical report or assessment at the end of your unit extend students' learning by having them use Odyssey, reviewed here to build a virtual field trip to tell the story of students in other cultures. Include links to articles, videos, student-created infographics, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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url List - Burke Holland and Cecil Phillip
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Bookmark url List to use whenever you want to share a group of links. For example, gather all of your online resources for any unit into one list for your personal use or to share with students on your class website for easy access at all times. Create an account at the site to keep track of your bookmark lists and edit as needed. Ask students to use this site when doing research projects and ask them to include their URL list as part of the final project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Race to Ratify - iCivics
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): 1700s (36), american revolution (82), branches of government (64), colonial america (95), constitution (93), game based learning (187)
In the Classroom
Demonstrate the basic concepts of the challenge on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then allow students to play on their own on the whiteboard or classroom computers, keeping a log of their actions and results. Enhance learning by having students share interactions from the game in comic form using ToonyTool, reviewed here. Ask students to use ToonyTool to create a conversation with the game's character trying to persuade an anti-Federalist or another opponent on the virtues of the Constitution. Use the game as inspiration for students to extend their learning by creating their own history game using Scratch, reviewed here. For ideas and inspiration, use the search feature in Scratch to find examples of history games created by other users.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ArtsNow - ArtsNow.org
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animals (295), art history (99), civil war (138), geometric shapes (135), maps (215), matter (46), seasons (37), STEM (288), stories and storytelling (58), temperature (35), weather (160)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free lesson plans and classroom activities to integrate art into your everyday classroom activities. Consider coordinating lessons with your school's art and music teachers. Expand upon the ideas found on this site to bring other art forms into the lessons. For example, take advantage of poetry resources and interactives found at ReadWriteThink, reviewed here, and have students create diamante, acrostic, and haiku poems relating to your lessons. Enhance student learning further by asking students or groups of students to create webpages sharing their learning activities using a resource like Carrd, reviewed here. This very simple tool allows users to add images and text to create a beautiful website using the provided templates. Be sure to ask students to include a reflective writing piece describing their learning throughout your unit. Take learning to the highest level and ask students to design and create a series of podcasts using Anchor, reviewed here. Ask students to discuss their learning activities, and also hypothesize on different outcomes of experiments when changing elements or activities. For example, if creating a podcast discussing changes in matter, have students share their thoughts on how the room and outdoor temperature affects outcomes. What if they used juice instead of water? Would the change from ice to liquid take the same amount of time?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NewsFeed Defenders - FactCheck.org
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): evaluating sources (28), journalism (73), media literacy (107), news (228)
In the Classroom
Include the NewsFeed Defenders game and lesson as part of your broader unit of teaching about online safety and media literacy. Engage studets by using Padlet, reviewed here, to share materials. Include links to videos, articles, and other materials for students to access. Ask them to add comments sharing their insights and information learned. Help students identify online disinformation by collaborating with Fiskkit, reviewed here. Change out paper and pen by sharing the URL of an article to discuss within Fiskkit, then have students highlight any area to discuss the information within the article. Enhance learning by encouraging students to teach others about media literacy using an online book tool like Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator can be used for a variety of assignments in any classroom that is integrating technology as an enhancement, modification, or transformation. Have students design and share a book that includes tips for spotting disinformation or bias using specific examples, including text, videos, and images, along with examples of factual, non-biased information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary - Pepita Ferrari
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): ethics (21), interviews (17), journalism (73), video (264)
In the Classroom
Use Capturing Reality in writing and film-making classes to help students understand the power of words and the variety of topics to consider when telling a story (not just documentaries). Select a topic to explore over a period of time and encourage students to develop that skill through storytelling. Be sure to visit Read, Write, Think, reviewed here, to find many classroom resources and activities that correlate to storytelling. For example, Read, Write, Think has a lesson entitled 3-2-1 Vocabulary: Learning Filmmaking Vocabulary by Making Films that teaches students how to develop vocabulary by filming and editing a short video. As students gather information and ideas about a topic, enhance their learning by asking them to create infographics using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to share and demonstrate important film-making topics. Have students upload their own video projects to an online portfolio creation tool like KudosWall, , reviewed here. Use KudosWall to help students build their resume of work, including reflections on their creation process and their personal growth.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TWiki - Peter Theony
Grades
K to 12tag(s): collaboration (90), social media (48), wikis (14)
In the Classroom
In language arts or history classrooms use a wiki to create a favorite historical figures page, have students share their favorite person from history along with supporting evidence. Use a wiki to set up a debate between students. For example, create a wiki and ask students to debate the use of homework in schools, the effect of social media on society, or year-round school vs. traditional school calendars. As your class builds and adds to the wiki, extend student learning by having small groups of students select a topic to research further. A nice feature of TWiki is that it allows you to set up collaborative groups where students can share information and ideas about their research. Culminate the research by having students use a multimedia creation tool like Sway, reviewed here, transforming classroom technology by sharing information including text, images, videos, and more. As a last step have the small groups load their Sway creation to their collaborative page on TWiki. For more ideas and information on how to use wikis, visit the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through for a detailed, step-by-step explanation and starter help, including dozens of ideas for ways to use a wiki in your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brush Ninja - Ben Gillbanks
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Use Brush Ninja in a variety of ways. Share this site with students and give them time to explore and experiment. When working with troubled students, use this site to let students share their thoughts and emotions through an animation. This is an excellent site to use with students who love art and enjoy sharing their learning through creative expressions. Take a look at the images created by other users in the gallery as inspiration for how to use animations. Ask students to create animations demonstrating science concepts like erosion, weathering, or chemical reactions. Use this site to have students create animations demonstrating events from stories, share their thought process in math, or animate an event from history. Have students include their animations when creating multimedia projects in an online tool like Sway, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Glide - David Siegel
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): organizational skills (88), spreadsheets (23)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the video tutorials to learn about how to create and customize apps with Glide. Consider sharing this tool with one or more of your tech-savvy students and let them become the expert at how to use the different features. Ask them to create screencasts using Awesome ScreenShot, reviewed here, to demonstrate how to begin creating an app, how to customize an app, or any other features of this tool. Use Glide as a unique teaching tool to engage and capture student interest in a variety of ways. For example, have students create a directory of characters found in a Shakespeare play and include pertinent information including their relationship to other characters, the character's important moments within the play, and more. Another example of how to use Glide is to create an app for students to use when working on long-term projects. Use the objectives template to set up goals and timelines for students to follow.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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