Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Thousands of Teacher-reviewed Resources!

Resources for National Teen Self-Esteem Month

Teenagers are at a critical period of emotional development and need support from family and friends to build and maintain self-esteem. Find tools to support and encourage your students during National Teen Self-Esteem Month and all year round.

Grades K-12

Twitter Chat: Using Technology to Strengthen Social-Emotional Learning

This archived OK2Ask® Twitter chat defines and discusses the main components of and the role of technology in strengthening social-emotional learning while sharing resources to help address the social-emotional needs of students.

Grades 3-12

Teach with Movies

Find teachable movies by reading film summaries, social-emotional learning themes, notes on historical accuracy, discussion questions and answers, and other lesson information.

Grades 8-12

Stories Behind the Songs: Introduction

Songs create an emotional hook in our lessons and may be used as a means to introduce visual art, poetry, and literature. Use this tool to engage your students as you examine the origins and inspirations of contemporary song lyrics.

Social-Emotional Health for All Ages

Social-emotional health is important at all ages and stages of life. During this time of social distancing, it’s especially important to take care of emotional health. Encourage students to acknowledge how they feel about themselves and the world around them, and how their feelings can affect their physical and mental health. 

Grades 2-12

Education for the Real World

Discover real-world skills through interactive, game-based lessons related to social-emotional learning, remote learning, and more. Each unit correlates with standards and includes features such as videos, games, digital lessons, and teacher guides.

Grades 3-12

Kid's Health

This site shares information about children’s health issues in an age-appropriate manner. The For Kids section includes information about feelings, ideal to share during lessons on social-emotional health. Most of the site is also available in Spanish.

Grades K-12

Teacher Self Care: Resources to Help You Make Time for You

One effective way to reduce stress and improve daily life is through self-care. Browse this curated list of easy activities to help you to step away from the mental stress of disruptions to your home and school routines.

Starting Young with a Healthy Self-Image

The resources shared in this section are ideal for helping you guide young students as they begin to understand the importance of mental health and self-confidence. 

Grades K-3

Peekapak

Discover this site’s ten short teaching units about social-emotional skills, including self-regulation, gratitude, and respect. Each of the units contains standards, an introductory story, and activities for the classroom and at home.

Grades K-6

Iris the Dragon

This site offers several FREE, downloadable children's e-books to educate young children about mental health and wellness. Stories cover school anxiety, anger, worry, and other topics. Complete a simple form to request access.

Grades 2-8

e-learning for kids - Depression

Even our youngest students can feel down at times, but if the pattern continues for too long, you may need resources for talking about depression. Go on an interactive journey with Lenny and Emma, and help them make choices to deal with their sadness.

This Week at TeachersFirst

Our spring OK2Ask® virtual workshops continue this Tuesday, May 26th, with “An Intro to the Free Office Online”. We also highlight a blog post focused on National Teen Self-Esteem Month, and we kindly ask you to share your thoughts in our weekly poll.