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The Basics of Fusion - Princeton
Grades
6 to 12
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In May, 2006, an unusual international consortium signed a treaty that could lead to the eventual construction of the world's first commercial fusion reactor. With it would come the...more
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In May, 2006, an unusual international consortium signed a treaty that could lead to the eventual construction of the world's first commercial fusion reactor. With it would come the key to almost limitless energy. This backgrounder from a similar European consortium provides a much more basic introduction to how fusion works and why it presents such a challenge.
In the Classroom
In addition to its obvious applications in physics, this issue could have widespread economic and environmental implications. There are lots of "What if..." questions you could develop around this one.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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The Bean Game - Jana Darrington Utah State University Extension
Grades
6 to 12
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Learn to manage money while having fun living on a 20 "bean" salary using this printable game. Use the directions and discussion questions to play two rounds of the game. ...more
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Learn to manage money while having fun living on a 20 "bean" salary using this printable game. Use the directions and discussion questions to play two rounds of the game. Although it is possible to play with individual players, the site recommends groups of between 2 and 5 players for optimal results. Even though this game is "low tech," it is a great teaching tool!
In the Classroom
Use the Bean Game as part of your financial literacy unit as a center activity. When finished, have students create blogs. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Tumblr, reviewed here.
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The Big Picture - Boston.com (Part of the Boston Globe)
Grades
6 to 12
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This website offers large, poignant, and significant pictures from different current events and history. The pictures are stunning and definitely help tell the story which further...more
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This website offers large, poignant, and significant pictures from different current events and history. The pictures are stunning and definitely help tell the story which further enhances student understanding. The site can be searched by category or by archived dates. Although this site doesn't appear to be updated on a regular basis, it is updated at least once every few months. Note: the images are large so may take a while to load! It is worth the wait.
You are able to post comments. You may want to preview the comments before allowing students to view. Posting comments requires an email address. Check your school's acceptable use policy regarding student email use. Rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
You are able to post comments. You may want to preview the comments before allowing students to view. Posting comments requires an email address. Check your school's acceptable use policy regarding student email use. Rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
In the Classroom
This site would be great for a multitude of subjects and may be best implemented with an interactive whiteboard or projector. One suggestion is to show a picture on the board as students enter the room and pose one question about it. It would create a great prompt for discussion or journaling. Students could also access pictures and create their own stories or presentations of the actual events. Students could create a news story and post it to the classroom wiki where available. Do you want to learn more about wikis? Check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Brown Bookshelf - Paula Chase-Hyman
Grades
K to 12
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The Brown Bookshelf features literature for young readers written by and featuring people of color. View archives going back to 2007 to find book reviews, author's chats, and some videos...more
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The Brown Bookshelf features literature for young readers written by and featuring people of color. View archives going back to 2007 to find book reviews, author's chats, and some videos that accompany books featured on the site. A flagship feature of the site is the 28 Days Later portion. Each day during Black History Month features a different author. It is a month-long showcase of the best in Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult novels written and illustrated by African Americans to help parents, teachers, librarians and booksellers recommend good reads. Archives are available beginning with the 2008 campaign.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use throughout the year, not just during Black History Month. Create a link on classroom computers for students to explore and find books for reading. Share this link on your class website or blog for students to use at home. Showcase books found on this site for classroom read aloud. Librarians will find this site helpful for creating displays in their library or for presentations in classrooms. Enhance student learning by having students create commercials for books found on this site using a tool like PowToon, or Adobe Express Video Maker, and share them using a tool such as School Tube.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Center on Representative Government - Indiana University
Grades
7 to 12
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Indiana University's Center on Congress partners with the Library of Congress and its effort to promote teaching with primary sources to provide a rich set of resources, lesson plans,...more
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Indiana University's Center on Congress partners with the Library of Congress and its effort to promote teaching with primary sources to provide a rich set of resources, lesson plans, and activities related to the history, function, and actions of the US Congress. Activities are divided by theme, such as citizen participation, criticism of Congress, and the impact of Congress. Many activities include comics to keep your attention. There is a good overview of using primary sources in teaching. Lesson plans are tied to state standards. In addition to the lesson plans developed by the Center on Congress, there is also a bank of teacher-submitted lesson plans.
In the Classroom
Clearly, this is a great resource for those teaching civics or US government. These activities will also be useful to US History teachers, as the issues covered span important political eras. For example, there are activities related to women's suffrage, the child labor movement, the GI Bill and the development of the Interstate Highway system. Lesson plans range from those designed to cover several days, to short "Congressional moments" videos perfect for introducing a concept or sparking class discussion. A number of the lesson plans and activities are designed specifically for iPads. Of note also is the fact that the video clips on the site are not links to YouTube, so will not pose an access problem for school districts that block the site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Economics of Seinfeld - Linda Ghent, Alan Grant and George Lesica
Grades
6 to 12
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Make economics concepts come alive, have fun, and learn with The Economics of Seinfeld. This site is based on the 90s sitcom, Seinfeld, which many students are still familiar...more
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Make economics concepts come alive, have fun, and learn with The Economics of Seinfeld. This site is based on the 90s sitcom, Seinfeld, which many students are still familiar with thanks to syndication! Browse through several pages of links to clips. Each is labeled with the economic concept taught. Browse for a specific content, or view the index to find content topics and associated videos. Hosting of all videos isn't provided on this site, some offerings require visiting Hulu or other video sites to find clips. A limited number are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube or another video sharing site, then they may not be viewable.
In the Classroom
Although concepts are listed with each video, it is up to the user to find the concept in the video and make the connections. Have students watch videos then upload a photo they have taken and add voice bubbles to explain what they learned. Use a tool such as Phrase.it, reviewed here. Have students use this site as a point of reference and find their own examples of economics in current television programming. Have students use ytClipper, reviewed here, to grab favorites from online video sources such as YouTube and Dailymotion quickly and easily, then explain them in presentations to the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Election Collection - PBS Learning Media
Grades
3 to 12
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Stay up to date with current elections and learn about the electoral process with this all-inclusive site from PBS Learning. View a short video to explore the constitution and how ...more
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Stay up to date with current elections and learn about the electoral process with this all-inclusive site from PBS Learning. View a short video to explore the constitution and how the government gets its power from its citizens. Launch the Electoral Decoder to explore 58 past presidential elections. Another feature is Let's Talk About KQED Youth Media Challenge, where middle and high school students share their ideas on issues that matter to them. Be sure to scroll down the page to explore other election categories like Voting Rights, The Party System, a Current Issues and Debate toolkit, and more.
In the Classroom
Include The Election Collection as part of any election unit. Have students research candidate information and compare and contrast points of view. Use an online tool such as the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, or the Interactive Three Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. Pose a controversial question about an election issue and have students answer as one of the candidates. Use a tool such as Dotstorming, reviewed here, for that exercise. Or, challenge students to use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a candidate's journey through the election process. Or, using Fakebook, have two candidates debate an issue. Be sure to take advantage of the free lesson plans offered on this site correlated to National History Standards.
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The Free Dictionary - Farlex, Inc
Grades
4 to 12
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The Free Dictionary is much more than a dictionary; it also includes a thesaurus, encyclopedias, a literature reference library, and lots more! Browse the home page to find Word of...more
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The Free Dictionary is much more than a dictionary; it also includes a thesaurus, encyclopedias, a literature reference library, and lots more! Browse the home page to find Word of the Day, Article of the Day, In the News, Quotations, Today's Birthday and Holiday, and Hangman. Choose the Spelling Bee to test spelling skills in levels. Your ESL/ELL students can discover and "play" with English words using this site. Browse to find dictionaries for many other languages and specialized needs such as medical and legal dictionaries.
In the Classroom
Set this site as the home page on classroom computers for students to read and find interesting articles and games. Create an account to customize the page to display information to suit class needs. Use information found on this site for quotes, interesting trivia, and much more. Display on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) and discuss articles and information with your class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Freedom Forum Online
Grades
6 to 12
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...more
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The Global Flow of People - Nikola Sander, Guy J. Abel, and Ramon Bauer
Grades
7 to 12
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Investigate migration patterns around the world from 1990 through 2010 with this interactive chart. Choose a five-year period for an overall view of global migration during that time....more
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Investigate migration patterns around the world from 1990 through 2010 with this interactive chart. Choose a five-year period for an overall view of global migration during that time. Click on individual regions to narrow down information on migration from country to country. Be sure to click on both individual lines and countries to take advantage of all the information this resource has to offer. Information for 2005-2010 is available for download as a two-sided poster using the link near the bottom of the website.
In the Classroom
Share The Global Flow of People with a projector or on an interactive whiteboard as part of any global studies unit. After finding the numbers of people migrating, have students brainstorm or collect ideas for the reasons of migration on a collaborative bulletin board like Scrumblr, reviewed here, quick start- no membership required. Challenge students to explore further and share their findings with a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here.
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The Global Flow of Refugees Interactive - University of Zurich
Grades
7 to 12
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The Global Flow of Refugees offers an interactive look at refugee flows between countries during the past few years. It is based on raw data collected by the UN Refugee ...more
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The Global Flow of Refugees offers an interactive look at refugee flows between countries during the past few years. It is based on raw data collected by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR. Be sure to read the "Before You Begin" section for using the map. Click any segment to narrow down information to individual countries showing the flow to or from that country. In addition to the interactive map, scroll down further on the page to view two static versions of the map and informational charts.
In the Classroom
Share this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to research and understand the flow of refugees throughout the world. Use this as an introduction to understanding complicated events in the Middle East and other volatile regions in the world. After viewing the interactive, have students study the regions for large migrations of refugees from one region to another. Have them share their findings with a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Have students use Little Memory, reviewed here, to create a diary entry as a refugee traveling to a new country.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Guardian
Grades
6 to 12
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This internationally published news source makes for an excellent resource for a teacher or student looking for current events. There's information ranging from politics, global news,...more
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This internationally published news source makes for an excellent resource for a teacher or student looking for current events. There's information ranging from politics, global news, business, technology - even pop culture. This would be useful in any classroom where a knowledge of the now was focused on.
In the Classroom
Use this site to explore the differences in perception and media tilt between the US and one of Britain's leading newspapers. Access the site, sharing it on the interactive whiteboard or projector. Explain the idea of cultural perception and differences before allowing students to access the site on individual computers. Have students open both the Guardian and a popular US paper, pulling up stories on the same issue. Have students create a Venn diagram of the differences in coverage, perceptions and tilt. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here). Great for a Government or World History class!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Historical Marker Database - HMdb.org
Grades
5 to 12
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The Historical Marker Database is an illustrated and searchable website for finding and viewing historical road markers. Information includes photographs, marker locations, and more....more
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The Historical Marker Database is an illustrated and searchable website for finding and viewing historical road markers. Information includes photographs, marker locations, and more. Search and browse the site in several ways. Find markers near your location, enter a keyword in the search bar, or choose from category options. Most entries include a short description, map location of the marker, the transcription, and links to other nearby markers. This site is rather text-heavy. It is full of great information. There is also a link to a free Google Field Trip app that uses these markers.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use the Historical Marker Database to find information and locations of important events near your hometown or relating to any area of study. For example, choose the Civil Rights link to find markers noting important events related to Civil Rights. Then have students enhance their learning and create a simple infographic sharing their findings. Use Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Have students create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here. This tool allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location on a map (Alaska) where the report takes place. Transform learning by having students create timelines of historic events near your school; use Timeline JS, reviewed here. Timeline JS also offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps making it interactive.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The HTML5 Gendered Advertising Remixer - Jonathan McIntosh
Grades
6 to 12
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Do advertisers market to boys and girls differently? The answer is obvious: Yes! Beyond that, how does that affect children's development and society in general? This site does not...more
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Do advertisers market to boys and girls differently? The answer is obvious: Yes! Beyond that, how does that affect children's development and society in general? This site does not offer a specific answer to those questions, but can make distinctions between boy-girl-centric advertising painfully clear. It is a simple concept: run the audio portion of an ad targeting boys under the video of an ad targeted to girls, or vice versa. Then consider what this "mashup" now communicates. The directions ask you to drag and drop icons; do not drag them to the big open box in the center of the page. Instead, drop one ad on the "audio" icon, and the other ad on the "video" icon; the mashup plays in the middle. If you go to the home page for the project, there are other "mashups" available focused on certain kinds of toys and advertising. You can view in either HTML 5 or Flash.
In the Classroom
One of the truisms about analyzing culture is that it is difficult to see the impact of cultural norms and practices from the inside. Students will probably agree that advertising targets boys differently than girls, but they may have serious difficulty considering what impact it has had on them. This site may help them see the subtle messages in advertising, and how those messages constrain or empower them. Project the mashups on an interactive whiteboard and then ask students how the audio changes the message on the video portion. Reverse the two and ask the same question. What does this say about the girls' gender roles? What does this say about boys' gender roles? What does this say about the impact of play on learning adult roles? Have student groups create digital "collections" of examples of gender-targeted ads using a tool such as Evernote (reviewed herehttp://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=10550) or turn them into mosaics of ad images using Mosaic Maker (reviewed here). Note: Since students are specifically studying advertising and critiquing the ads, it would not be a copyright violation to add images as part of a media project to illustrate gender targeting.Comments
This is fascinating but somewhat difficult to know how to use. A rich resource. I found the key to making it usable was the list of questions for discussion which are here: http://www.genderremixer.com/curriculum/Sandra, , Grades: 0 - 5
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The Inflation Calculator - Morgan Friedman
Grades
5 to 12
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Compare the adjusted amount of money from its value in any year, from 1800-2022, using The Inflation Calculator. Enter the dollar amount, the initial year, and the final year for ...more
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Compare the adjusted amount of money from its value in any year, from 1800-2022, using The Inflation Calculator. Enter the dollar amount, the initial year, and the final year for comparison to view the adjusted amount. For example, enter $100 in the year 1900 and compare to the 2017 value to find that the same item would cost $2988.86 in 2017!
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Although this calculator seems relatively simple, use it for many purposes in your classroom. When reading stories set in different times throughout the 1900's use the calculator to compare costs in the story to 21st-century costs. Use the calculator for student writing projects set in the past to add authenticity to information included. Take student learning a step further and ask them to create an infographic comparing prices, technology, populations, workforce, or other important indicators of two different eras. Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, will modify student learning and is a very easy to use tool for creating infographics using their many available templates. Challenge math or economics students to enhance learning and create an inflation calculator based on different sets of statistics using Microsoft Excel or Google Forms. Work together with a history teacher to include those statistics on a history timeline with a tool like Time Graphics Timeline Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Kids Should See This - Rion Nakaya
Grades
K to 8
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This site offers media (found on YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr) on a broad spectrum of topics, not created for kids but appropriate and interesting for children 3 years old and ...more
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This site offers media (found on YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr) on a broad spectrum of topics, not created for kids but appropriate and interesting for children 3 years old and up. Media isn't divided into categories. The newest items appear first. However, you can search the site by keyword. Information ranges from animal stories of a dog without legs to video of Ella Fitzgerald scatting. Obviously, this site is updated frequently, so contents will change. Students and adults alike will love browsing for interesting stories and information.
In the Classroom
Check first to be sure the media are not blocked by school web filtering. Choose one item from the site to share on your interactive whiteboard or projector as a class discussion starter on current topics or as a lead-in to a lesson. (Example: show the YouTube video about order of the planets when beginning an astronomy unit). Share the site with students and let them explore to find interesting topics for research reports. Ask students to choose one item from the site to share with other students as a way to practice oral presentation skills. Use videos or images as writing prompts or blog prompts. ESL/ELL students can practice their language skills by retelling a favorite video. Challenge your students to create their own informative videos on a topic that your class is exploring. Share the videos using a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Learning Network - The New York Times Company
Grades
6 to 12
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This New York Times site addresses many classroom needs. Scroll down the main section to find current event articles, photos, polls, and more. Find lesson plans by category, a student...more
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This New York Times site addresses many classroom needs. Scroll down the main section to find current event articles, photos, polls, and more. Find lesson plans by category, a student opinion section, contests, a daily news quiz, and timely articles connecting current events to thinking questions. Find many opportunities for a quick learning game or to express your opinion. There is even a student crossword. This site is frequently updated and includes a wide variety of subjects.
In the Classroom
Share this site on your class web page for students to find challenges or activities. Substitute teachers can always find an appropriate current events or vocabulary/writing activity if there are no lesson plans. English, social studies, and gifted teachers will want to explore the many lesson ideas that draw on current news stories. Find many prompts for student opinion blogs at this site. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, replace pen and paper and have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Weebly, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Lowdown - KQED News
Grades
6 to 12
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The Lowdown connects the newsroom to the classroom through timely multimedia articles featuring the latest news. Convert any post to PDF for easy printing and sharing. Search using...more
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The Lowdown connects the newsroom to the classroom through timely multimedia articles featuring the latest news. Convert any post to PDF for easy printing and sharing. Search using a keyword or choose links to find lesson plans, interactives, and videos. Many features include alignment to Common Core Standards. If your district blocks YouTube, videos may not be viewable.
In the Classroom
Achieve two goals with this very people-friendly site: provide quality non-fiction reading materials and the latest in current events. Use this site to differentiate reading materials by student interest. Encourage students to explore the site on their own. Be sure to include a link on classroom computers and your class website for students to access at any time. Flip your class and assign the reading to do at home. Then, have students create a simple infographic sharing findings from The Lowdown with their classmates using Infogram, reviewed here. Have cooperative learning groups create weekly podcasts with news from around the world. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.
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The Lowdown: The Obama Years, A Retrospective Lesson Plan - PBS Learning Media
Grades
6 to 12
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Explore the achievements and setbacks of Barack Obama's presidency in this lesson that includes an interactive timeline of his eight years in office. The lesson plan includes essential...more
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Explore the achievements and setbacks of Barack Obama's presidency in this lesson that includes an interactive timeline of his eight years in office. The lesson plan includes essential questions, vocabulary, and suggestions for small group or individual instruction. Activities are correlated to Common Core Standards, or sign in using a free account to link activities to your state standards.
In the Classroom
As you explore the interactive timeline together as a class or with small groups, use a simple polling tool like SurveyPlanet, reviewed here, to assess student understanding of the different events on the timeline. Use SurveyPlanet to add each event to a poll and ask students to weigh in on their opinion on if the event was an accomplishment or a setback to the Obama administration. Use an online curation tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to organize and share additional resources with students to enhance learning. For example, create a Padlet with columns for each year of the Obama presidency and add online articles from different resources that discuss each event. Extend learning by asking students to apply their knowledge of the Obama presidency and compare it to another president's term in office using one of the storytelling tools found at Knight Lab, reviewed here. Scroll down Knight Lab's main page to find options that include a Storyline to tell the stories behind numbers, StoryMap - maps that tell numbers, and a timeline creation tool.
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The Online NewsHour Extra: Video Clipboard - Archives - PBS
Grades
6 to 12
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Are you looking for a new way to get your students excited about current events and the news? This site provides daily (Monday - Friday) video blogs. The blogs come ...more
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Are you looking for a new way to get your students excited about current events and the news? This site provides daily (Monday - Friday) video blogs. The blogs come complete with a video clip, summary, quotes, thinking questions, and more. (Don't miss the link to "How to Use this" with tips for downloading veido in advance of your class and how to use it). Video topics relate to current events but extend back into background that lead up to today's events. Some of the "extras" include transcripts, printables, and the ability to post comments. If you post a comment, you must provide your name, city, state, and email address. BE CERTAIN to check your school's Acceptable Use Policy and obtain parental permission before allowing students to comment on the video blogs.
Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
In the Classroom
Share these video blogs with your students on an interactive whiteboard or projector as you discuss current events and related issues. Share this link on your class web page as an option for weekly current events articles you require from students. Take advantage of the free resources (quotes, warm up questions, discussion questions, printables, and other resources). If you teach reading or are working to help learning support students build comprehension, you will find terrific passages for teaching comprehension, inferencing, summarizing, and more, all with meaningful news stories as the focus. If your school's Acceptable Use Policy allows, have students post their own comments to the video blogs. Another idea: have your students create their own wiki about current events in local and/or national news. Invite students to create their own multimedia packages using video clips and their own text to explain an issue and its history.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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