TeachersFirst - What's Popular
This page shares the 25 resources most frequently marked as Favorites by TeachersFirst Members in the past 60 days. See what tops the list of TeachersFirst's database of well over 12,000 educator-reviewed web resources. Find out what other teachers are excited about. Not a TeachersFirst member yet? See the time saving benefits of free TeachersFirst membership.
See Math - seemath.com
Grades
2 to 10
11 Favorites
0 Comments
Find animations to "see" many math concepts at this growing site. Choose a topic (base ten blocks, improper fractions, carrying tens and hundreds, and many others). View the math problem....more
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Find animations to "see" many math concepts at this growing site. Choose a topic (base ten blocks, improper fractions, carrying tens and hundreds, and many others). View the math problem. Press Play to show not only how to solve the problem, but receive an explanation and a visual to understand the solution. Adjust the speed up or down, go back and forward through the solution, and pause when needed. See Math can help with basic operations and problem solving up through algebra problems.
tag(s): base ten (7), decimals (77), equations (73), exponents (22), factors (31), fractions (137), mixed numbers (7), negative numbers (14), operations (66), place value (31), problem solving (123), ratios (26), whole numbers (11)
In the Classroom
Use these topics as an introduction to a unit of study or as a ready link for students to access for homework help. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use the animations to visually see the solution to a math problem. Provide time for students to view the solution to a problem and write the steps in their own words. Give practice problems to groups to use their directions in the solution of the problems. If you are gearing up for high stakes tests that require students to write about how they solve math problems, you can use this site for the entire class to practice writing to explain solutions. Be sure to place this link on your website and classroom computer for easy access.
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Inside Story Flashcards - Inside Story, LLC
Grades
2 to 12
7 Favorites
0 Comments
Stunning pictures, audio of each word, and short definitions all make this online vocabulary flashcard site visually stimulating and interesting. As a bonus, you can print all cards....more
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Stunning pictures, audio of each word, and short definitions all make this online vocabulary flashcard site visually stimulating and interesting. As a bonus, you can print all cards. Choose from basic, easy, medium, or hard levels of vocabulary to find and listen to words. Definitions can also be turned off for practice with word recall or guessing what the image represents. When ready to print the cards, choose the print button; then select words for the flashcards (or all). There is a paid portion of the site for other flashcards, but the free printable section contains more than enough words to make this site worth a visit.
tag(s): dictionaries (22), flash cards (28), vocabulary (251), vocabulary development (41)
In the Classroom
Display the site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector), turn off the definition under the flashcard and have students try to guess the meaning of the word. Split students into teams to see who can come up with the most creative sentence using the vocabulary word. Print out cards on card stock to use at a writing center as a resource for writing. Print out cards and have students separate by nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. Have a word of the day and challenge students to use the word correctly throughout the day in the classroom. Secondary teachers may want to share this site with students preparing for ACT/SAT testing.
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Learn English Kids - British Council
Grades
K to 8
5 Favorites
0 Comments
This kids' branch of Learn English (created in the UK) contains interactives, short stories, crafts, songs, and even an opportunity for students to help their younger brothers and sisters...more
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This kids' branch of Learn English (created in the UK) contains interactives, short stories, crafts, songs, and even an opportunity for students to help their younger brothers and sisters learn English. A free log-in allows you access to printed versions of the stories (with questions), the ability to make comments, enter competitions, answer polls, and even create a "character." Another log in for teachers and parents opens up suggestions for teaching and using the resources of the site. Professionals can also find video tips and access to helpful articles. Access to the site is available in other languages such as Chinese and French, all aimed at teaching English. A text help feature using "BrowseAloud" opens up the English learning to students with vision or reading challenges. Note that vocabulary used is British, so you may need to explain a few words to US or Canadian students, e.g. "rubbish bin."
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): interactive stories (20), preK (99), songs (40), vocabulary development (41)
In the Classroom
Primary grade and preK teachers will find many useful interactives for basic skills like colors and phonics on this site, even though it is intended for learning English. Share the activities as a center or for extra practice for struggling students. Check with your administration about whether students can register individually for the site. Introduce this site to your class on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and have your ELL/ESL students use it as one of your learning stations. Short stories and other interactive features of the site would work well with special education students, too. Be sure to share this link with parents of your ELL students if they have Internet access at home.
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Super Thinkers - SuperPages.com
Grades
4 to 6
5 Favorites
0 Comments
SuperThinkers encourages you to become a thinker, not a memorizer. The goal of SuperThinkers is to teach how to think by creating connections, looking for meaning behind facts, and...more
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SuperThinkers encourages you to become a thinker, not a memorizer. The goal of SuperThinkers is to teach how to think by creating connections, looking for meaning behind facts, and analyzing to understand. Choose a game from the Peetnik Mysteries, watch a short video, then begin using information on the site to solve the mystery. In addition to games, the site includes a Creativity Workshop that features short online books with ideas for creating a book, making a movie, or making a jigsaw puzzle. Many of the mystery pages include an audio button that will read the text for you.
tag(s): creativity (66), logic (162), mysteries (19), patterns (56), problem solving (123)
In the Classroom
Use SuperThinkers as part of a larger mystery unit or as a reading activity to encourage logic, problem solving, critical thinking, cooperative learning, analysis, pattern interpretation, mystery solving, writing, observation, sharing, discovery, imagination, self determination, reflection, and self expression. The mysteries take about 30 minutes to solve and would be best utilized in a computer lab 1-1 setting or as a whole class with a projector (or interactive whiteboard). The Peetnik Mysteries can also be used to teach students how to create a time line, to compare and contrast, or as story starters.
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Urtak - Urtak.com
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
This easy tool creates polls where participants can both ask and answer questions. All questions offer Yes/No/Don't care responses. Create unlimited, embeddable polls which can be analyzed...more
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This easy tool creates polls where participants can both ask and answer questions. All questions offer Yes/No/Don't care responses. Create unlimited, embeddable polls which can be analyzed in real time. Ask a few questions to begin and then embed your poll. Allowing viewers to not only answer but ask their own questions creates richer data and a meaningful conversation. Responders may think of some interesting questions that you never thought of! You have the option to moderate the questions others add to prevent inappropriate content on your site.
tag(s): polls and surveys (12)
In the Classroom
Use a survey or poll to collect answers to simple data questions (favorite food, color, vacation spot, number of siblings etc.). Use data to show averages, results of small and large samples, graphing, simple statistics, and more. Find out what people believe about various issues or ideas to introduce in class discussions or debates. Keep student thinking outside of class by posing a controversial question related to what you discussed in class today: "Would you want to live life as a frog?" "Would you want to live in the town where Atticus Finch lives?" Want student input on a unit or possible next activity? Use a poll to find out! Use as a way to check for prior knowledge at the start of a unit. Polls and surveys are applicable for every subject at the beginning, middle, or end of a unit. Uncover misconceptions from students in your class as well as the school community.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Smore - Shlomi Atar and Gilad Avidan
Grades
2 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Smore allows you to make beautiful online "multimedia" flyers to display on your smartphone, tablet or computer. You can arrange your content easily with Smores' drag and drop editing....more
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Smore allows you to make beautiful online "multimedia" flyers to display on your smartphone, tablet or computer. You can arrange your content easily with Smores' drag and drop editing. Add ready-made graphics, images from files on your computer, or images from the web. Quickly embed text, videos, and tweets, too. Choose from several attractive themes. Share your creations via email, URL, Facebook, or Twitter. Smore is in private beta at the time of this review, so it may take a day or two for your membership approval.
tag(s): creativity (66), multimedia (17), posters (17)
In the Classroom
Have students create their own "infographics" with this site to display what they have learned from a unit of study, or present a review before a test. Use your interactive whiteboard and projector to allow student groups to present a flyer about a book they've read, news article, etc. Have them create campaign posters for fictitious candidates as you study about the election process. Smore allows you to preview as you work or return later to complete and publish your flyers. Add ready-made graphics, images from files on your computer or on the web.Allow students to create flyers for upcoming events such as Earth Day, Grandparents Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays and anniversaries. Make holiday greetings to share.
Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
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Seaview - Underwater Earth
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
View unbelievable imagery of the sea with this interactive, undersea viewer. View life along Barrier Reefs and in the Sea. See the different fish and other organisms who call the ...more
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View unbelievable imagery of the sea with this interactive, undersea viewer. View life along Barrier Reefs and in the Sea. See the different fish and other organisms who call the reef their home. Discover the characteristics of the ecosystem that allows for such a varied amount of organisms to call it their home. This project is just getting started as it surveys the Great Barrier Reef and documents it visually. Read the details by clicking "The Science." Click on Seaview Demo to begin your exploration. Rotate your mouse to look at any direction under the sea. Use the map along the right to choose a different location to view. Several objects are available to click on and zoom to for a closer look.
tag(s): conservation (107), earth day (96), ecology (118), ecosystems (63), oceans (106), reefs (13)
In the Classroom
Explore this site as a virtual field trip under the sea during a unit on animal habitats, biomes, or oceans. Create a poem, song, or artwork using the images from the viewer as inspiration. Use tools such as Voicethread to upload student-made images and record these thoughts. Create a poster campaign (digital or traditional) to identify why conservation is important in these areas.
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Festisite Money - Festisite
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Have you ever wanted to see your own face on a dollar bill? Use this online image editor to personalized bills with your own picture. Just upload your picture (or ...more
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Have you ever wanted to see your own face on a dollar bill? Use this online image editor to personalized bills with your own picture. Just upload your picture (or any image) using the photo link at the bottom of the page. Images can be moved around within the picture frame, and there is an option to adjust the image size by zooming in or out. Save the edited image by right-clicking the image and selecting "save" to download the output image to your computer. Then print the dollar bill with your image. The site offers currency from many different countries from Antarctica to Yugoslavia.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): currency (15), financial literacy (31), money (137)
In the Classroom
Have fun creating personalized money for students to practice counting! Allow students to buy classroom rewards using your own classroom dollars generated using this site. Use class-made manipulatives from this site to teach basic economic concepts with simulations: running a small business, supply and demand, or simply making change. Use custom made currency as a behavior incentive system to help emotional support students build self-control. If students study different cultures, why not have them design their own country, complete with currency? Share this site with parents to use at home with their students or for the PTO/PTA to create fun money for school events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Reading Logs - Readinglogs.com
Grades
K to 6
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Reading Logs simplifies reading, spelling, and vocabulary practice and organization. Spelling, reading goals, and vocabulary word lists are provided (online) for you! Upload learning...more
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Reading Logs simplifies reading, spelling, and vocabulary practice and organization. Spelling, reading goals, and vocabulary word lists are provided (online) for you! Upload learning materials to access online. These items are incorporated into the electronic reading log, vocabulary card creator, and the spell practice system. Upload reading lists and reading goals. Goals can be weekly or monthly and can be set up to track the number of minutes or the number of books read. Post vocabulary lists that can be printed or viewed online. Information can be accessed on stand-alone computers, smart phones, and tablets. Registration requires an email address. Read tips for safely managing email registrations here.
tag(s): book lists (56), differentiation (9), independent reading (45), reading comprehension (39), spelling (124), vocabulary (251)
In the Classroom
Upload weekly spelling lists for students to access easily at home. Share this site with parents as a resource for collaborating and tracking students' reading goals. Use this site to differentiate for gifted students, ESL/ELL students, learning support students, and everyone else. Use this site to create a learning station individualized for each student to practice their own vocabulary lists on either a whiteboard or paper, read one of the books on the reading lists, and more.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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ClassDojo - Sam Chaudhary and Liam Don
Grades
K to 8
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Manage behavior and boost involvement in class quickly and easily. ClassDojo allows you to recognize desirable behaviors and accomplishments in real time. Use it on any Internet connected...more
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Manage behavior and boost involvement in class quickly and easily. ClassDojo allows you to recognize desirable behaviors and accomplishments in real time. Use it on any Internet connected device in your classroom: computer, smartphone, iPod Touch, iPad, or tablet. You can use any of these devices as a remote, and your computer display updates automatically with a pop-up. You can choose an avatar for each student. Student behavior records are automatically created, updated, and reports generated with just one click by you.
tag(s): behavior (31), classroom management (15)
In the Classroom
Consider using this program for group of the week. Award points for positive behaviors such as participation, helping others, creativity, hard work, or create your own categories. Using ClassDojo for group behaviors will give immediate feedback to students if projected on your whiteboard or your projector.Are you a regular education teacher with special education students mainstreamed into your classroom? Use Class Dojo to privately keep track of student behaviors and send a report to special education teachers or parents. This could be invaluable to a life skills, autistic support, or emotional support teacher who needs to track the behavior of each of the students as part of an IEP. Alternative ed programs may find this tool very useful, as well, even up through high school.
Edge Features:
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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TES Interactive Whiteboard Activities - TSL Education
Grades
K to 6
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Explore a wonderful resource of interactive, Flash-based whiteboard activities for preschool and elementary students. Choose from EYFS (early childhood), KS1 (approximately ages 6-8)...more
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Explore a wonderful resource of interactive, Flash-based whiteboard activities for preschool and elementary students. Choose from EYFS (early childhood), KS1 (approximately ages 6-8) or KS2 (approximately ages 8-11). Subjects include math, literacy, science, geography, and more. Each activity includes a short explanation with suggestions for classroom use. Many of the literacy activities relate to familiar children's stories such as Goldilocks, Cinderella, and the Three Little Pigs. All resources can be sorted by subject or grade level and include a link to copy for embedding in classroom blogs, websites, or as a bookmark on classroom computers. The site originates in the UK, so it uses British English.
tag(s): animals (166), characterization (7), charts and graphs (129), communities (18), counting (87), data (92), human body (54), numbers (137), plants (71), preK (99), setting (7)
In the Classroom
Use activities on this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as whole class activities or in classroom computer centers. Share the site with parents through your classroom website or newsletter as a resource for skills practice at home.
This resource requires Adobe Flash.
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Ship-2-Shore Education/ Mapping Plastic Marine Pollution - Algalita Marine Research Foundation
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Explore plastic pollution in the North Pacific Ocean at this terrific site. Take a virtual journey on one of the ships that measures and keeps track of marine pollution. You ...more
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Explore plastic pollution in the North Pacific Ocean at this terrific site. Take a virtual journey on one of the ships that measures and keeps track of marine pollution. You will find complete lessons to use in free Google Earth software. There are separate lessons for each grade level 4 through 12. Download PDF Activity Sheets and print for students or students can open the activity sheet on computers and type their responses into the form fields. If you cannot use Google Earth to your school computers, have no fear! Use portions of the lessons online in Google Maps (reviewed here). Voyage files are on Google Maps, and students can access them there. Access the current voyage (2012) through the site's blog. Note that the downloads are "zipped" files you must unzip THEN open in Google Earth or Google Maps. Each placemarker (KML) file has little sailboat icons that open to very detailed information about what was found at that location.
tag(s): environment (230), oceans (106), plastics (5), pollution (53)
In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard and projector to introduce this site and one voyage. Point out all the little sail boat icons. Click to see text and images. Use these lessons as is or adapt for your own use. Consider having students work in groups of four, and have each group explore a different voyage (listed by year). There are a lot of sail boat placemarkers for each voyage. Have the small groups of students investigate the first several days of each voyage together. After that, suggest they split the placemarkers up, take notes about what they learn, and inform each other about what happened on the days they investigated. Once they've investigated their voyage, remix the groups so you have one student from each of the different voyages together. Have them share information and determine what was alike and different for each year. Use a graphic organizer or mind mapping tool such as WiseMapping reviewed here, or Exploratree reviewed here to help students keep track of the information. Once done have students access the additional resources page and click on the comparison mapping button. Have them compare their information to the maps provided. Older students may want to investigate information about careers related to GIS, Conservation, and Marine Biology by using the link at the bottom of the page.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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American Indian Response to Environmental Changes - National Museum of the American Indian
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
This site documents how four Native American communities are responding to changes in the environment where they live. Through videos and primary sources, you can explore these four...more
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This site documents how four Native American communities are responding to changes in the environment where they live. Through videos and primary sources, you can explore these four Native American cultures. Each tribe's section is broken down into the following areas: Getting Started, Meet the People, About Our Homeland, Our Environmental Challenge, Our Strategies, and Our Future.
tag(s): environment (230), native americans (34), natural resources (25)
In the Classroom
Project this site on an interactive whiteboard and watch the videos on each of the tribes. If you have laptops available, have students navigate on their own. Have the class take the included interactive quizzes to see what they've learned. Group students and have each group read about a different tribe. Then using the online story project planner, have students create a presentation about their tribe that can be uploaded to the site. Be sure to visit the teacher area for lesson plans, links and other resources.
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Word Hippo - Wordhippo.com
Grades
2 to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Word Hippo is a word study tool for synonyms, antonyms, and more. Look for rhyming words, opposites, translations to a variety of languages, plurals, definitions and uses for the word,...more
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Word Hippo is a word study tool for synonyms, antonyms, and more. Look for rhyming words, opposites, translations to a variety of languages, plurals, definitions and uses for the word, etc. The site also makes suggestions for other words in case you might have made a typo or do not know the spelling. As with any other reference, students should be cautioned to be sure these are accurate definitions needed for the context in which they are studying the words. You will want to spell out consequences and/or supervise to be sure students are not searching for inappropriate words, but the most egregious words of bad taste do not appear to be available for search at this site.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): antonyms (12), dictionaries (22), spelling (124), synonyms (21), vocabulary (251), vocabulary development (41)
In the Classroom
Use this site for word study assignments, such as writing sentences, paragraphs, or essays using new words. Since the site permits translation, this would be a valuable tool in world language classes, ESL/ELL classes, and more. Introduce this site on an interactive whiteboard and elicit examples to show the class how quickly it works. Have students create their own word walls with synonyms, antonyms, sentences, and more for their latest vocabulary words. Try a tool such as Wallwisher (reviewed here) for each student to create an online "wall" with words aligned to color coded stickies for synonyms. antonyms, etc. Alternatively, have students create class challenges for their peers with color coded matching activities for the IWB matching words to synonyms, antonyms, and an appropriate fill in the blank sentence. Share this as a favorite on your teacher public page for handy reference any time students encounter an unknown word. Even subject area teachers such as science and social studies will find this tool handy for students with weaker vocabulary levels.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Shmoop Snoops the Gods - Shmoop
Grades
6 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Shmoop Mythology allows you to peek into the social networking world of the gods using online profiles, walls, in-boxes and diaries of the gods. Shmoop Mythology also provides study...more
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Shmoop Mythology allows you to peek into the social networking world of the gods using online profiles, walls, in-boxes and diaries of the gods. Shmoop Mythology also provides study guides to several myths. With younger students, you may want to preview BEFORE you share. Some of the profiles may include more information that you are comfortable sharing in the classroom setting. (Those Olympians did not always behave so well.) Also, at the time of this review, nearly all links were working. However, our editor did find two links that were not active. .
tag(s): greek (39), greeks (18), myths and legends (8), romans (15)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use in any history, literature, or social studies class. Use the site to engage your students in the study of mythology. Use the site on an interactive whiteboard to read about a different god each day. Have students work in groups to create a similar site for a god that isn't represented. Since the site is broken down into different areas like, wall, emails and gossip, have students extend the site by creating new content for each area of the site. The site also has a nice collection of photos that can be used in reports or for other projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NOVA Body and Brain - NOVA/PBS
Grades
3 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Find great information and interactive activities about the human body and brain on this exciting site. Choose from tabs along the top from Body and Brain as well as Nature, ...more
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Find great information and interactive activities about the human body and brain on this exciting site. Choose from tabs along the top from Body and Brain as well as Nature, Planet Earth, and more. Click on the NOVA Education tab to find great lessons and ideas to use these materials for a variety of subjects and ages. View video clips as well as slide shows and other information. Preview these resources before sharing in class. Some parents/communities may consider some material controversial or inappropriate for younger students.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): carbon dioxide (8), carbon footprint (8), earth (175), environment (230), human body (54), nuclear energy (16), nutrition (102), solar energy (18), space (133)
In the Classroom
Discover some terrific lessons about a variety of topics. For example, under Environment find a great lesson for Capturing Carbon: Where Do We Put It? Find background information to understand the material and questions for discussion that can be used with your class. Find additional resources along the side.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Math Zapper! - SingingWhale.com
Grades
3 to 8
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Math Zapper is a collection of Flash-based activities that provide practice with fractions, decimals, and percents. View the short tutorial to learn how to play. Choose one of those...more
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Math Zapper is a collection of Flash-based activities that provide practice with fractions, decimals, and percents. View the short tutorial to learn how to play. Choose one of those items from the menu bar, then choose a specific activity such as intro to decimals or adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing by decimals to begin. Pause or continue the program as necessary to view at an individual pace. Progress is displayed with lights on the left side of the display.
In the Classroom
Share a link to the site with students and parents for review at home. Show portions of activities on your interactive whiteboard pausing as necessary as an introduction or review of these concepts. Create a learning station using this site. Allow students to differentiate based on what they currently know/understand.
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ICT Games - Literacy - James Barrett
Grades
K to 5
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Check out these free interactive literacy games for the emergent learner. Practicing basic skills is an entertaining experience at ICT Games. The skills include: spelling patterns,...more
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Check out these free interactive literacy games for the emergent learner. Practicing basic skills is an entertaining experience at ICT Games. The skills include: spelling patterns, phoneme patterns, blending sounds, high frequency words, beginning science vocabulary, using rhyming to read new and unfamiliar words, and reading for understanding. It also has interactive dictionaries for the beginner through upper elementary learner. There is no registration required. Note that the site is from England, so there are minor spelling and terminology differences from U.S. English in a few games. Preview the specific game to be sure.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): dictionaries (22), literacy (101), preK (99), reading comprehension (39), rhymes (23), spelling (124)
In the Classroom
Use your projector and interactive whiteboard to introduce the site. You might start with "The Wordy Woods," an interactive resource for displaying useful words. Start by checking the lists, and have students identify words they've already learned in class. Populate the "woods" with those first. Save this! Then, as students learn new words have them fill in the forest.ESL/ELL students with emergent literacy skills will benefit from this site by practicing spelling and reading skills. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Use a program like Symbaloo, reviewed here, to create link shortcuts on your student computers. Include a link to the ITC Games on your classroom website or blog for students to practice at home. This is a great site for students to use for additional practice on a skill that is difficult.
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HealthMap - Clark Freifeld and John Brownstein
Grades
7 to 12
7 Favorites
0 Comments
Use HealthMap (Powered by Google Maps) to view the status of different diseases around the world, compare between countries,and identify trends. HealthMap brings up to date data from...more
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Use HealthMap (Powered by Google Maps) to view the status of different diseases around the world, compare between countries,and identify trends. HealthMap brings up to date data from multiple sources into one place for better visualizing. Click on the Blog link to access specific information about diseases including symptoms and treatment. Refine your search on the map by disease, category, or region of the world. This site can be viewed in French, Spanish, and several other languages.
tag(s): scientists (27)
In the Classroom
Use this site whether you are discussing illness and viruses, socioeconomic factors that affect disease rates, or looking to offer a critical thinking exercise for your students. Have groups of students choose a continent. As a group, have them investigate the diseases, where they are concentrated, and the factors involved in the transmission. Students can share findings on posters or using a wiki or blog. For quicker projects, create electronic "posters" or word graphics using tools such as Piclits (reviewed here) or Typogenerator (reviewed here).As the groups find information, they may find parallels to other group's work that can spark discussions between the groups. Through use of this site, encourage student groups to look beyond the biology of diseases to research living conditions in other areas of the world.
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Louvre - Louvre
Grades
1 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Roam the halls of the Louvre without having to sign one field trip form (or gather passports). This virtual museum experience contains an on-line collection of 35,000 pieces and spans...more
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Roam the halls of the Louvre without having to sign one field trip form (or gather passports). This virtual museum experience contains an on-line collection of 35,000 pieces and spans across 60,000 square feet. Features such as "My Personal Space," allow you to bookmark and store your own personalized art collections in multiple albums. Each art piece includes a label that states basic information such as the name of the artist, date, period, and medium. For more in depth information simply click the label and view a short narrative written by the Louvre's own curators and staff. Search their database by keywords or exact phrases or use the "kaleidoscope" to locate artwork organized by themes such as: mythology, landscape, and even sports. By downloading 3Dvia, you can also view imaginary architecture and exhibitions in 3D. The work displayed at the Louvre spans from the medieval period to 1848.
In the Classroom
The possibilities for using this website in the classroom are as extensive as the Louvre itself. Liven up your Greek Mythology unit by accessing the "Kaleidoscope" mythology theme to learn how various gods and their stories appear in fine art. View the site in French and have your class speaking and reading French as they stroll through the halls of the Louvre. Link your study of the French Revolution to paintings such as Delacroix's "Lady Liberty." While studying World History, reading Machiavelli's masterpiece "The Prince" or Vasari's biographies in "Lives of the Artist," view the work of artists who lived through the political unrest of the Renaissance. The site does not provide prefabricated lessons for teachers but is an excellent resource for re-search and project-based learning. Create a class wiki for students to share their favorite paintings or thoughts on a specific painting and its meaning. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Northern grid mini apps - Northern Grid
Grades
K to 4
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Looking for simple interactives to use on your interactive whiteboard or projector? This site offers various tools that can be used with your entire class or with individual students...more
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Looking for simple interactives to use on your interactive whiteboard or projector? This site offers various tools that can be used with your entire class or with individual students at stations or on independent computers. Use "Number blocks" to teach addition to a group of students or the whole class. Use the "Show me the time" application to rotate the handles of the clock to set the correct time. Other applications include "Music keyboard" to play music with different instrument sounds and "Chain letters" to make new words from the letters shown. Check out all of the apps listed on the pages for interesting options for your class. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
In the Classroom
Use many of these interactives as a whole class activity (projector or interactive whiteboard) or for use with small groups. Practice showing time by having a student show the time given on the clock. Have that student choose the next time and another student to display on the clock. Use any of the other activities on this site for students to learn and explain why the answer is correct. Groups of students having difficulty can also use these applications with a student who has mastered it for additional help sessions.
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Reading Bear - Watch, Know, Learn
Grades
K to 2
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Reading Bear is a systematic program that teaches beginning vocabulary and concepts while introducing phonics patterns. The Getting Started video gives an overview of the program...more
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Reading Bear is a systematic program that teaches beginning vocabulary and concepts while introducing phonics patterns. The Getting Started video gives an overview of the program as it explains the software, videos, and tips for using the system. Choose from any phonics sounds or start from the beginning of the program. Then choose from different video or slideshow tutorials (such as sound it out quickly, let me sound it out, or audio and silent sentences). As sounds are pronounced, the corresponding letter is highlighted. Quizzes are available at the end of each section. Choose from different settings to adjust font, letter color, or order of presentation. At the time of this review, 16 presentations are available. The goal of the site is to create a total of 50 presentations. So check back often.
Some of the video clips are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Zamzar reviewed here to download the videos from YouTube.
Some of the video clips are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Zamzar reviewed here to download the videos from YouTube.
In the Classroom
This is an excellent resource for use on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Choose from the different options when presenting letter sounds in your classroom to present letters in different formats. Create a link on classroom computers to use as a phonics center activity. Share this site with parents through your classroom website or newsletter as a wonderful way to practice and learn letter sounds at home. Use this site with ESL/ELL students. Speech pathologists and special education teachers may want to bookmark this excellent site, too.
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Chartle - Dieter Krachtus
Grades
6 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Create various types of graphs and charts - easily! Input data quickly, and explore multiple ways to show the data using the various types of graphs available. Easily see the ...more
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Create various types of graphs and charts - easily! Input data quickly, and explore multiple ways to show the data using the various types of graphs available. Easily see the relationships between the data as you play with the graphic. Note: Take (and save) a screen shot of your chart as not all charts have been saved correctly. Once a chart has been published, it can no longer be edited. There is a short video tutorial on the homepage explaining how to use this site. This site uses Java.
tag(s): charts and graphs (129)
In the Classroom
You will want to play with this tool before using it in class. Use anywhere numerical data is collected and is best shown in a chart. Collect data in a science, survey, or math class and display it using different graphs to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each graph type. Use for quick creation and sharing of created graphs. Create charts together easily on an interactive whiteboard when introducing the different types. Have students operate the board while others offer instructions on what to do next. Use graphs to portray different sets of data about a topic in a new and unique way. Use this tool to create graphs and charts for presentations and reports. Make quick charts students can share with others such as "How I spend my time" and "Places I have visited." During political campaign seasons, create charts to better visualize what the pollsters are saying.
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A Game A Day - AgameAday.com
Grades
2 to 8
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Find interactives and puzzles across the curriculum to spark curiosity and increase motivation, concentration, and skills. Two different levels of play allow a greater range of skill...more
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Find interactives and puzzles across the curriculum to spark curiosity and increase motivation, concentration, and skills. Two different levels of play allow a greater range of skill level. This award-winning site offers a huge variety of activities for reading, writing, vocabulary, spelling, math, and thinking skills. Many activities require Java.
tag(s): logic (162), operations (66), problem solving (123), puzzles (146), sight words (16), spelling (124)
In the Classroom
Use kids' love of games to inspire problem solvers and thinkers within each of your students. This ever-changing site allows for a wide variety of topics and interests. Use as a center tool, reward time, reinforcement, introduction, or review of a variety of skills and concepts. Many of the games are well suited for ELL students to simply practice reading directions and using vocabulary. Add as a link to your website to provide interesting new ideas and concepts. Inspire thinkers in your gifted or advanced classes. Use in computer classes to provide examples for game types. Use as examples of review tools at the end of any unit so students can create their own review games to challenge each other. Put the daily challenge up on your interactive whiteboard or projector as students are entering the room. Preservice teachers will find this site invaluable.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pictogram Graph - Jo Edkins
Grades
K to 5
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Create and learn about pictogram graphs with this interactive tool. Add titles, descriptions, choose a picture and a color, choose what value each picture is worth, choose the number...more
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Create and learn about pictogram graphs with this interactive tool. Add titles, descriptions, choose a picture and a color, choose what value each picture is worth, choose the number of rows/columns, and enter a value on the graph. Learn about the different ways to use the site by viewing the How To Use This Webpage link at the bottom of the graph. This site was created in the United Kingdom. So if you are an American English speaker, you may notice some slight spelling differences.
tag(s): charts and graphs (129), data (92)
In the Classroom
Use Pictogram Graph with an interactive whiteboard (or projector) for whole class graphing. This site would also make a great math center in the classroom. Groups of students can visit the center and graph collected values at a computer or interactive whiteboard.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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