Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The Latin Rhythms of Despacito lesson plan from TeachRock introduces students to four Latin American music styles- Reggaeton, Musica Jibara, Cumbia, and Salsa- and examines their influence on Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's hit song "Despacito." Through video content and musical analysis activities, students learn how producers Mauricio Rengifo and Andres Torres incorporated elements from these genres into the track. This lesson encourages students to identify and discuss the integration of these musical styles within "Despacito" and to explore the broader impact of Latin American music on popular culture.

tag(s): hispanic (36), music theory (46), rhythm (21)

Games for Languages is a free site that contains blogs, travel stories, and games. Blog topics include learning and retaining a language, knowing verses speaking, and dialect. Travel stories allow you to learn and practice the language. You can learn French, German, Spanish, English, Italian, and Dutch in the game section. Games teach vocabulary, colors, verb tenses, and question words. You can hear the correct pronunciation with each game and practice it yourself. Before playing each game, there is a brief overview of what you will learn and how many minutes the game will take to complete. When playing the game, you have multiple opportunities to learn and practice the language.
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tag(s): game based learning (205), italian (31), multilingual (77)

50 Languages offers games called Memo and Opposites, which allow you to learn a new language. Memo is a memory game in which you match two language cards from a variety of topics including: feelings, animals, music, food, finances, shopping, weather and more. Memo will pronounce the words for you. In Opposites, you find the opposite noun, verb, or adjective. Both games can be played with one or two players, and you can select from 50 different languages.
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tag(s): game based learning (205), multilingual (77)

Games to Learn Spanish offers interactive games to reinforce Spanish language learning. Games include duck shoot, frog flies, four in a row, sow grow, rock fall, and more. Each game is explained in English before you play it.
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tag(s): game based learning (205), multilingual (77), spanish (109)

The NEA's Hispanic Heritage Month page offers valuable tools and tips for educators to celebrate and integrate Hispanic culture into their classrooms. It includes a variety of lesson plans, activities, and resources designed to engage students while fostering an appreciation for Hispanic contributions to history, culture, and society. The site covers different grade levels and subjects, ensuring educators have many options. Additionally, it provides guidance on using culturally responsive teaching strategies to support student engagement and create an inclusive learning environment. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): central america (20), cross cultural understanding (173), cultures (180), dance (31), hispanic (36), south america (47)

WorldReader is a free website that contains digital books. The themes of the books include African Books in local languages, climate and environmental awareness, CreceLee Spanish collection, DEI and social justice, gender equity, rapid response Ukrainian collection, social emotional learning, sports and health, STEM/STEAM, WorldReader originals, young changemaker collection, and more. Books can be translated into Spanish and Ukrainian. Some books have an activity before reading. The site allows you to search based on age range.

tag(s): book lists (167), cultures (180), digital reading (17)

The Crash Course has over 45 videos on topics ranging from Anatomy to Zoology, Artificial Intelligence to Outbreak Science. There are the more common topics one might want to learn about, like Ecology, Films, Geography, and much more. All videos are free to watch. Each video also includes a short description (some with lesson stem ideas). Crash Course videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district/school blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. The good news for teachers whose schools block YouTube is that you can download the video if you fill out a form. Go to the Download tab from the top menu, select Students & Teachers, scroll down the page, and follow the directions.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (177), black history (133), branches of government (65), business (52), climate (84), computers (109), copyright (44), ecology (103), energy (133), engineering (129), human body (93), literature (222), media literacy (109), myths and legends (37), plants (146), politics (118), space (222), statistics (121), video (266), zoology (18)

Roxxem teaches new languages by integrating song lyrics with interactive learning activities for individuals and classrooms. Members choose from hundreds of songs to learn Spanish, French, Chinese, or German. Roxxem's technology features allow participants to find the right songs for their learning level, from beginner to advanced, and easily integrate into classroom learning opportunities with study games and live classroom activities. After creating a free account, search for songs, lyrics, or words. Use search settings to adjust levels and maturity song content ratings. Select a song to play games, including Whack-a-Word, Play Lyric Puzzle, Learn Lesson, or print the words. Free accounts include access to all songs, personalized lessons, study games, and live classroom activities. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): chinese (45), french (75), german (49), multilingual (77), spanish (109), Teacher Utilities (198)

The Smithsonian Museum shares this website explaining the history behind Hispanic Heritage Month and provides numerous resources for learning more about Latino American experiences. Visit the different areas of the site to learn about Latino culture, Independence Days, food, art, and famous Latinos; another portion of the site shares educational resources, including teaching and learning resources.

tag(s): artists (85), central america (20), cross cultural understanding (173), dance (31), hispanic (36), south america (47), women (150)

This sentence scrambler allows teachers to type or paste in as many sentences as they would like and scrambles the words at random. Any punctuation typed in remains attached to the word it is next to. Students can then try to unscramble the sentences. Options include putting slashes or dashes between words to make them easier to distinguish. After typing/pasting the desired number of sentences, teachers should check the box marked "Add Numbers" in order to have the sentences separated and numbered. Sentences in Spanish can also be scrambled. Rearranging the words is not part of the interactive activity.

tag(s): grammar (137), inferencing (7), multilingual (77), sentences (22), sight words (23), spanish (109)

Learn a language with free short, coffee-break-length (15-20 minute) podcasts. First, scroll down the home page to select a language from the ten options provided. After selecting a language, choose the link to the free podcasts and select one of the four learning levels starting with absolute beginners up to advanced learners. Then, subscribe to the language podcasts on your favorite streaming platform, including Apple, Google, or Spotify.

tag(s): chinese (45), cultures (180), french (75), german (49), italian (31), multilingual (77), podcasts (108), portuguese (22), spanish (109)

ClassPoint integrates with PowerPoint and Windows operating systems using presentation tools, interactive quiz questions, and a gamified reward system. Use the presentation tools to highlight information, add annotations, open a whiteboard, and more. Turn your slides into interactive questions to share with students and receive immediate feedback through the responses. Use the rewards option to give or take away stars to students based on your preferences; students move through levels to receive badges by earning rewards. Download ClassPoint to your Windows device by following the directions and prompts provided. Free accounts offer up to a twenty-five-student class size, five questions per PowerPoint, three draggable objects, three saved classes, and basic gamification. ClassPoint is not available for MacOS devices at the time of this review; however, it is being looked at as an option, so Mac users might want to check back to see if it becomes available.

tag(s): Microsoft (80), multimedia (53), slides (43), Teacher Utilities (198)

The Achievery is a free digital learning platform created by AT&T in collaboration with Warner Brothers that pairs video clips with lessons to engage students in learning across seven subject areas. Create an account to access activities such as a poetry scavenger hunt with Amanda Gorman or learn reading and writing skills from Wonder Woman video clips. Begin at the "All Units" link to find content by grade level, standards, subject, and additional filters. Most lessons are part of a larger learning unit; however, they are ready to use as individual teaching activities. Each lesson includes correlations to teaching and CASEL standards (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning), highlights relevant vocabulary, activity directions, and links to the featured video, and is available in PDF format. The Achievery lessons and activities are available in English and Spanish. This site would be a good one to leave for your substitute to use; it's high interest, no sign-in, and has lesson plans & video clips.

tag(s): blended learning (37), coding (85), digital citizenship (85), engineering (129), environment (252), equations (119), geometric shapes (135), graphic design (49), internet safety (114), literature (222), map skills (63), measurement (122), media literacy (109), narrative (16), numbers (120), operations (72), order of operations (29), problem solving (233), remote learning (54), Research (87), social and emotional learning (102), spanish (109), STEM (297), substitutes (25), writing (325)

Teaching with videos engages and excites students, but finding the right video takes time. TEACHFLIX is a curated collection of videos shared by classroom teachers to put to immediate use in class. Begin by browsing by grade level or content area. If browsing by grade level, open up your choice to view all videos or narrow your selection by specific topics. No registration is required; however, sign up with your email to receive the Teaching with TEACHFLIX ebook to download, which includes suggestions and activities to use with videos. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): coding (85), computational thinking (40), computers (109), digital citizenship (85), engineering (129), problem solving (233), social and emotional learning (102), STEM (297), video (266), virtual field trips (128)

Google Read Along is an entertaining, interactive website designed to help young children learn to read. This site is currently available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, and Urdu. Though you can use Google Read Along on your computer, the best experience will be by using an Android device. Read Along engages young readers with a friendly character named Diya, who provides assistance and feedback when needed. Students receive immediate feedback by earning stars for each word they read correctly. In addition, Diya will help if children are stuck on a particular word. Gamification makes learning to read fun and engaging! Students earn stars and badges and can level up to more advanced books as they become increasingly better readers. Google Read Along also tracks how many minutes students spend actively reading. A Google account is required, and enable your microphone access for your browser.

tag(s): digital reading (17), gamification (83), independent reading (81), preK (271)

Customize and share personalized Wordles based upon the popular word game, Wordle, reviewed here using Make a Custom Wordle. Enter a word of any length (unlike the original word for five-letter words only) to generate a shareable link for your word. Make a Custom Wordle also offers the option to create words in several languages, including Spanish, French, Hindi, and German. Share the link with students using email, classroom management system, or class website. When complete, copy the URL to share by pasting it into an email or your blog or classroom website.

tag(s): game based learning (205), sight words (23), spelling (98), vocabulary (238)