184 character-education results | sort by:
return to subject listingFrom Provocative to Productive - NewseumEd
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Have this lesson handy when a controversial or contentious subject emerges. You just never know when that will happen, but you can run with it if you prepare using these NewseumEd guidelines. Share them with students, so they will understand what they need to do to participate successfully in a discussion or debate. Are there no issues at hand? Try finding one using Code Switch, reviewed here. At Code Switch find award-winning journalists from a variety of races to share their perspectives on current issues. Try giving students a choice! Show them several subjects and use Dotstorming, reviewed here, to comment and vote on topics for the discussion. Use the opportunity to hone students information literacy skills by reviewing how to evaluate and cite sources. Once they have researched their topic, and are ready to discuss, use a tool such as Thinkalong, reviewed here, to practice their discussion and argument strategies. With older students, a next step might be to take the debate public using Virtual Debate, reviewed here, which has online examples and resources for conducting virtual debates.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Digital Citizenship Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use this entire collection or simply select the best ones for YOUR students to continually model good digital citizenship. Share the links with parents and among your colleagues so you can promote positive action instead of fear about the Internet.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teach With Movies - TeachWithMovies.com, Inc.
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Movies offer an entertaining format for history and thematic studies. Use a video to add to the learning experience of students who are visual and auditory learners. Use this site to find videos in a wide range of topics to share on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Take advantage of the free lesson plans for classroom use. Preview the lessons before viewing and convert those that can be to a real-time discussion to engage students WHILE they watch a video! Enhance classroom learning and technology use and achieve this by setting up a backchannel chat using GoSoapBox, reviewed here. Alternatively, if you are distance or remote teaching or have a blended classroom, use VideoAnt, reviewed here, to ask questions and have students respond directly on the video.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Creating Safe Spaces: Lesson Plans for Social-Emotional Learning - Michelle Manno/USC Rossier School of Education
Grades
K to 6In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lessons offered on this site; many include suggestions for use on special dates such as Random Acts of Kindness week or Martin Luther King Day. Include ideas found on the site as part of your lessons that teach about racism and how it relates to bullying by others. Share with your school's guidance counselor as a resource for activities and lessons. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, replace paper and pen and enhance learning by having students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Penzu, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using Edublog, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SheHeroes - sheheroes.org
Grades
2 to 10In the Classroom
Use SheHeroes as part of your Career Day or career unit resources. Add a link on classroom computers for students (male and female) to explore on their own. Take advantage of the further discussion questions to encourage students to think about the obstacles faced by women in business and society. Ask a prominent local business woman to speak to your class and discuss obstacles she has faced and how she was able to overcome those issues. Although the site is dedicated to girls from ages 8-14, share with both boys and girls from ages 8 and up as part of any unit on gender inequalites.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Charity Navigator - Charity Navigator
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Inspire your students to find worthy causes to give back and help other people in need. Give character education programs real purpose by discovering the many ways people need help. Challenge students to become an active part of your community and help others. Each class can choose a favorite charity to support through time or donations. Throughout the year, find ways to volunteer, collect money, or make a difference. Keep a class blog documenting progress, plans, ideas, and experiences. Substitute pen and paper writing journals by having students create blogs sharing their experiences using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using Edublog, reviewed here. New to blogging? Check out TeachersFirst's Blog Basics. Challenge each class to enhance their learning by highlighting the journey of giving to your community through a video documentary using a tool like Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here. Share videos using a tool like Schooltube, reviewed here.Comments
This is a "gift" to those who are interested in having their students realize that where they donate can be researched. Furthermore it shows how many are working to improve the world across multiple categories. This helps foster critical analysis. My students will be selecting a charity and arguing for its support.Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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Thrively - Thrively
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Begin your school year with a more personal touch, by knowing what your students' interests are. On the teacher dashboard, examine each student and match interest to activities to differentiate instruction. Students can explore careers, apps, and activities matching their profile. With interest and strengths targeted, you can sail smoothly into a highly engaged class of individualized learning. During career explorations, open up worlds of possibilities for students and families to begin planning a successful path. Add a link to this tool to your class website for possible enrichment activities for families. Offer suggestions to parents for enriching after school activities found around your area.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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International Dot Day - Reynolds Center for Teaching Learning & Creativity
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Although the official International Dot Day is in September, use ideas from the site to inspire creativity and collaboration throughout the year. Read The Dot to students and encourage them to brainstorm and collaborate ways they can make their mark in the world. Celebrate by joining the International Dot Day Virtual Event on Monday, Sept. 16 at 10am ET with a live stream featuring the author and his twin brother. Challenge older students to explore their place in the world through the use of a blog. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Penzu, reviewed here, with Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. Or, use Webnode, reviewed here. Take this a step further by joining the Connect with Other Classrooms and sharing your Dot Day activities with your global friends. Consider following International Dot Day on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) to stay in touch with all of the latest updates from around the world.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Happier - Nataly Kogan
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
With testing, social pressure, and the desire to do well use Happier in class to reinforce social-emotional learning (SEL) by celebrating the small steps and successes on which students should be focusing. Teach students to identify positives along the way, no matter what the test or situation's outcome. Consider asking what did you learn from the situation? Identify categories that encompass all of the student's lives and focus on finding happy moments in all areas. Be sure to use this yourself! Find the positives in every facet of your day building happiness day by day. Psychology and Sociology classes can use this as an experiment about happiness, collecting student or family data through the year.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Wonderment - Kidnected World
Grades
3 to 9In the Classroom
The Wonderment is a problem based learning adventure for each student around the world to communicate and collaborate with other students. This venue allows great lesson ideas for digital citizenship and digital footprints. Begin by choosing a path for the entire class and feature on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Have students work in small groups to choose their best response. Discussions can focus on creativity, problem solving, and collaboration between the group and others from around the world. In a gifted class, use as a way to challenge kids to break through the "right answer" and find the "best answer." Use this as a model for finding authentic needs in your community. Be sure to share a link to this tool on your class blog, website, or learning management system (LMS). Use this tool as the answer for the parents who always want more challenge and enrichment for their students at home. Be sure to share at a staff meeting to spread the wonder for other students and adults.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)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Thinkuknow - Crown
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
Before you begin work with any tool on the Internet, educate students with the most important lessons, keeping safe! Choose the age group and follow the lessons together as a group on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Continue discussions on your class blog. Add parents to your blog so they can reinforce lessons on Internet safety. Then it is time to introduce the Appropriate Use for Technology permission form, and this will now make sense to kids. Bookmark this site on classroom computers so students can refer to the information. Be sure to offer as a tool for parents to review and reinforce at home. At your technology night, have this up on your projector screen while parents are entering, so all get a needed reminder. Be sure student technology clubs examine and understand the concepts. Have the student technology club make their own videos introducing safety concepts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NetSafe Utah - UEN-TV and partners
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many resources on this site when teaching Internet safety lessons. Download materials from the Trainers Toolkit for use with lessons. Create a link to videos on classroom computers or share a link on your class web page for students to view at home. Ask students to visit the site and create online posters, individually or together as a class, about the information they learn there. Enhance learning by having students use a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Hott Notes - Joel Riley
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
A teacher's life is full of many things to remember. Keep sticky notes wherever you go on your computer desktop, in a folder, and on a USB mini-drive. Students love technology so encourage sticky note reminders. Use as a way to have students vote for choices. Allow students to add a sticky note to your computer after finishing an assignment. List all materials needed for lessons and labs on your sticky notes. Gather them from multiple places and still keep track. Use as a way to brainstorm with your class and later eliminate unneeded ideas. Keep weekly vocabulary or spelling words on Hott Notes for all of your student computers. Use as a method for tracking behavior.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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P 21 - Partnership For 21st Century Skills - P21
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Investigate P21 to see if you are meeting your students' needs for the 21st century. Use the parent tip sheet, real world examples, or the PowerPoint to clarify your goals to parents and administration. Explore literacy maps and skills maps to compare your methods of instruction. Look for ways to support professional development in your school. Become more effective using Common Core Curriculum. Join the blog and change your world. This site contains great research, ideas, and goals to include in grants, mission statements, or strategic planning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Booklist: Taking Care of Me - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
This collection could accompany a unit in health, science, or physical education. These books provide experience with both fiction and nonfiction informational texts. They often require students to draw inferences about the "facts." Allow students (or partners) to choose their own book. Share this list with your school library/media specialist or public library, as well, for them to "pull" books in support of your science/social studies units. Extend the experience by having students create visual presentations of the concepts they learn. Challenge students to create a presentation using Prezi, reviewed here, or Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Myths: Everything You Need - Scholastic Inc
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
After you choose your level, discover one or many of the lessons to integrate into your English Language Arts or Social Studies curriculum. Choose your objectives, and find the lessons that are appropriate. Some lessons can be shared on the interactive whiteboard or projector. Others are more appropriate alone as individual work. Materials are included so much of the prep work is already done for you. To conclude the myths unit, have students create a play featuring a unique culture and a hero they create. Students will need a detailed script containing; theme, plot, settings, and characters including a hero. Go as far as you want developing props, costumes, and accompanying sounds and music. Have students present using a live presentation, video, or digital storytelling. Choose from the TeachersFirst Digital Storytelling tools, reviewed here. This site is a great reference for an after-school enrichment program on writing, reading, book clubs, or even self esteem.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Gift Cards for Good - Google Sites
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
Capture your students passion, hearts, and interest in proving that kids can make a big difference. Use this resources as an inspiration for community service projects that can be done -- even by 10 year-olds! Encourage students to look for charities in your area and find out how they can help. Place this link on your class website to further the cause and show parents the power of kids! Include it in your units on character education and leadership. Use it as an example for project based learning, challenging students to write promotional materials and letters explaining their project. Replace the paper and pencil version of promotional materials with one of the tools found at Genially, reviewed here, where students can select to create interactive images, guides, presentations, flyers and others. They can insert surveys, video, audio, maps, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Red Ribbon Campaign - National Family Partnership
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Be sure to take advantage of printables and information from this site. Have students sign Red Ribbon pledges and display them on a classroom bulletin board. Challenge students to participate in the Red Ribbon photo contest (if using this site during the yearly contest). Be sure to share a link to the adult pledge with parents through your class website to make them a part of Red Ribbon week too!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center - Pacer Center, Inc.
Grades
K to 10In the Classroom
Introduce a bullying discussion in your class by viewing a video appropriate for your age group. Continue with a class discussion. Then, exchange paper and pencil and have students do a quick write about how they feel about bullying. Use a blogging tool like Webnode, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students, use Seesaw, reviewed here. Begin a school and community-wide campaign against bullying by sharing this resource with your school leadership team, PTA/PTO, and other teachers. This tool would be a great project for the school's student council to undertake. There are a ton of resources; someone just needs to get this program going!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List: Alaska and Hawaii - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Include these books for independent reading during a unit on U.S. geography, multiculturalism, or the states. Compare the life of children living in Alaska or Hawaii to the students in your own class. The conversations will easily evolve into projects where students can compare and contrast or create "profiles" of childhood in different states and cultures.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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