Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Test students' knowledge of related items using this unique quiz creator. Create a quiz using a set of common terms or elements (presidents, types of animals, incorrect use of a comma, etc.). Build your game by adding additional sets of items to add rounds. To play, divide students into teams and start the game. The alphabet appears beginning with Z and going backward, and letters begin to disappear. If the letter is in your set of terms it pops up into the appropriate place - think of Wheel of Fortune. When a player guesses why items are related, pause the game to hear their response. Continue playing if incorrect or move to the next round if correct.
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tag(s): assessment (147), game based learning (205), quiz (67), quizzes (90)

Create and share videos for social media platforms with Headliner. Add images, text animation, clip audio, add video, and more to personalize content. Choose from several video editor templates or go straight to the video editor to begin creating. Upload videos to add transcript, use the audiogram wizard to make a video from audio, or create a video from a URL linking to an online article. When finished, publish your video and download to your computer.

tag(s): communication (129), editing (93), multimedia (53), social media (48), video (266)

Create online charts, maps, and interactive stories from your spreadsheets using Flourish. Modify technology use by uploading any spreadsheet (or copy and paste directly from Excel) to create tables without downloading additional software. After creating your free account follow prompts to design and construct a visualization or animated story. When finished, publish and share using the provided link, download the image to your computer, or use the code to embed into your website or blog. Free accounts include features to share your information publicly.

tag(s): animation (64), charts and graphs (171), infographics (56)

Think of Fiskkit as a social media tool for sharing, discussing, and evaluating online articles similar to marking up a paper with a red pen. Copy and paste the URL for a news story into Fiskkit to input into the site. Once available, click on any sentence to rate or tag information as true/false, descriptive, or complimentary. Share the article with others to evaluate then view the graph showing tag distribution. After sharing the article with your class use your account to see student names that read the article, organize comments, and open individual sentences for classroom discussion. At the time of this review, Fiskkit works best in Edge and FireFox browsers.

tag(s): critical thinking (128), journalism (74), media literacy (109), news (228), newspapers (93)

Premiere Rush is an all in one app for creating, editing, and sharing videos. Download Premiere Rush and use it across any device. Access your work from anywhere with the site's cloud storage feature. Use your Adobe account to log in either on your computer or with the app for your mobile device. Create a project by importing video, images, or audio. Use the editing features to edit, add titles, transitions, and much more. Easily share finished projects using social media links. The free version offers three exports and up to 2GB storage. Be sure to check the system requirements necessary before attempting to install Premiere Rush on your computer.

tag(s): communication (129), digital storytelling (154), editing (93), video (266)

Game Builder offers ready-to-go games and templates for building digital games in a variety of formats. Choose from classic games like Bingo and Jeopardy or try different forms such as Squid Hunter or Chakalaka. Select a game option to begin making games, then follow prompts to add questions and responses. When finished, be sure to choose the option to make your game public making it available to share. Registration is required to create and share games.
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tag(s): assessment (147), game based learning (205), gamification (83), quizzes (90)

History Tech is an outstanding blog for history and social studies teachers created by curriculum and technology integration consultant Glenn Wiebe. Wiebe shares resources and lesson ideas with a focus on game-based learning and technology integration. Browse through the blog's feed to view the latest posts, use the search box to search by keyword, or click on commonly used tagged words. To find specific topic content scroll down to the bottom of the home page and use the drop box featuring History Tech Topics. Be sure to sign up with your email address to receive the most recent posts directly to your inbox.

tag(s): back to school (55), branches of government (65), digital storytelling (154), game based learning (205), maps (220), politics (118), primary sources (117), social media (48), teaching strategies (50)

Have you ever told anyone, "Let me Google that for you?" That is what LMGTFY is all about! This site allows you to demonstrate how to Google (and much more) terms, then send a link with a step by step demonstration on how to complete the search. LMGTFY has grown beyond Google and now offers users the ability to select from several popular search engines including Bing, Yahoo, Ask, and DuckDuckGo. The drop-down box provides choices to search the web, images, video, and more. After making selections and entering a search term, click to get the link or choose preview to view the information.

tag(s): browser (8), search engines (48), search strategies (22)

Where is a better place to find resources for teaching about Abraham Lincoln than Ford's Theatre? Employ the filters on the site to locate videos, lessons, primary sources, and much more to use with students in grades 3 and up. Full lessons include correlation to Common Core Standards, handouts, and rubrics for assessment. The videos reside on YouTube. If your school blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): civil war (139), lincoln (66), presidents (135), primary sources (117)

Take an in-depth investigation into the events of April 14, 1865, at Ford's Theatre and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln through eyewitness accounts and exploration of the evidence left behind using materials found on this interactive site. Begin with questions to consider during your investigation then continue to read about first-hand accounts provided by witnesses in different areas of the theatre. Finally, examine the physical evidence including Lincoln's clothing and items found in John Wilkes Booth's pockets. Complete the activity as you return to the original questions with evidence in hand to support your conclusions.

tag(s): civil war (139), lincoln (66), presidents (135), primary sources (117)

This site offers a large assortment of ready to print worksheets with preschool through high school content. The majority of materials focus on content for elementary and junior high levels. Choose a topic and use the topic list on the left side of the screen to narrow down to specific needs. Be sure to check out the Teacher Printables section; this includes many helpful printables for report card comments, parent information, and organization.
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tag(s): calendars (37), grammar review (31), graphic organizers (48), holidays (187), organizational skills (88), substitutes (25), worksheets (69)

The Student Writing portal of One World Education shares exemplary writing examples from One World Student Ambassadors. Each piece models grade-level writing and includes a reflection experience. Based on the One World Program, articles feature information based on student research of a social justice issue important to them. In addition to the featured student writing, the site also includes a research portal for students categorized by grade levels and issues. Sign up to become a partner and access curriculum materials based on Common Core Standards.

tag(s): persuasive writing (58), sociology (23), writing (324)

Use this simple matching game from iCivics to learn the requirements of becoming a citizen in the United States. With this interactive online game, iCivics keeps to the facts, avoiding issues of asylum and "dreamers" (people brought to the U.S. as children and raised there). The appealing character of Liberty Belle, assistant to the Statue of Liberty, will help younger students persist in learning the facts about becoming a citizen in the United States.

tag(s): game based learning (205), immigration (68), landmarks (22), politics (118)

MSN Kids features content and search features geared toward elementary and middle-school aged kids. In addition to news stories around the world of interest to kids, the site also includes crafts and videos that appeal to students. Use the links to different categories including animals, science and tech, and more to narrow down features. One very nice feature for classrooms is that this site does not include any advertising or sponsored content.

tag(s): bookmarks (43), cross cultural understanding (173), search engines (48)

Musicmap is a colorful guide to the genealogy of popular music genres based on research from over 200 sources. Color-coding on the map indicates relationships between different genres. Choose any area of the map to click and read the history behind the style and listen to music in the playlist. Tools on the sidebar of the map offer different features to find and access content within the site. This site includes YouTube videos.

tag(s): 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), music theory (46)

As you might guess from the title, this site is all about numbers. Their goals are to promote numeracy, develop number sense, and have fun along the way. Use the search bar to ask about any number; the results provide context and relationships to your query. Results might include comparisons to items that are bigger or smaller and equivalent items. Choose other links to learn number facts about countries, ratios, or take a number quiz.

tag(s): measurement (122), number sense (69), numbers (120), ratios (47)

Unhangout is a free platform for connecting community-driven learning opportunities. Participants gather in the site's lobby at the time of the event, introduce themselves, and possibly view a short presentation or video together. After introductions, participants choose breakout rooms based on their interest. Breakout rooms hold up to ten participants at a time and open in a new tab so they can continue to add to the main chat if desired. Within the breakout rooms, conversations focus on a common topic and include options for members to use their webcam to discuss topics, view videos together, or work on a shared document. Following the event, participants receive an email with a transcript of the event and email contacts of fellow participants. Create your event by logging into your account and adding information including date, time, and additional hosts if desired. Other options enable you to set privacy options, allow follow-up emails, and provide for a custom URL.

tag(s): chat (41), collaboration (93)

YoTeach! is a free backchanneling app created for teachers and students. Create a room and set a password then provide the URL to your students. Once in the platform, the site's features allow you to share chat discussions, use the online whiteboard, and upload images. Additional options include a simple polling tool, a "like" button, and student participation statistics. When finished, download the conversation to your computer as a PDF. When creating your room, use settings to control privacy and moderate participants. Students can now engage using anonymous mode.

tag(s): chat (41), communication (129), social networking (61)

Choice of Games includes tools for creating and playing text-based games (think of it as similar to a choose your own adventure story). Try making games by following the directions to download the script source. Include simple commands using text options for players. This site includes tutorials to get started and add more complex commands. Explore the games archive to play games created by other users and to get inspiration for your creations. Note: you will need to download and install Node.js (free), then download and install the ChoiceScript source from GitHub (free).

tag(s): coding (85), creative writing (124), DAT device agnostic tool (147), gamification (83), interactive stories (22), STEM (298), writing (324)