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ARIS - ARIS
Grades
7 to 12
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Let the games begin with ARIS, an open-source, web-based platform to create and play mobile games, tours, and interactive stories that will run on iOS devices. ARIS stands for Augmented...more
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Let the games begin with ARIS, an open-source, web-based platform to create and play mobile games, tours, and interactive stories that will run on iOS devices. ARIS stands for Augmented Reality for Interactive Storytelling. ARIS is an authoring environment for non-programmers, and also a toolbox of useful code for people that want to make their own interactive mobile apps. You will experience a virtual world of interactive characters, items, and media using GPS and QR Codes through Google Maps reviewed here. During the games, you can trade items with other characters, drop them on the map, get them from characters, or have them taken away. Download the free ARIS app to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to play the games. After creating your player account, select from a list of ARIS experiences. Each game will start on the quest screen, and the quests will likely tell you to go somewhere physically. Open the map screen to see your position and destination to begin the game. QR codes are used to help ARIS determine your position as you complete the quests. A few games contain codes that can be used to access some of the content remotely.
Use the ARIS Editor to create your own games under the "Make Games" section of the site. A separate account is needed to play games, but you can use the same username and password if you want. You'll begin with a Google map on the main screen where you can search to zoom into a particular place in the world. Use the object pallet located on the left-side of your screen to create characters, items, and plaques. Drag and drop the items you authored onto your map to build your interactive game. When your game is ready to publish, you need to set up your iOS device to work with the server for the authoring tool. You need to change the server URL under the ARIS settings to http://arisgames.org/stagingserver1.
Use the ARIS Editor to create your own games under the "Make Games" section of the site. A separate account is needed to play games, but you can use the same username and password if you want. You'll begin with a Google map on the main screen where you can search to zoom into a particular place in the world. Use the object pallet located on the left-side of your screen to create characters, items, and plaques. Drag and drop the items you authored onto your map to build your interactive game. When your game is ready to publish, you need to set up your iOS device to work with the server for the authoring tool. You need to change the server URL under the ARIS settings to http://arisgames.org/stagingserver1.
In the Classroom
Use ARIS to teach your students game design. Connect your students more deeply with their surroundings using this augmented reality experience. Begin by having your students create mock-ups of ARIS games using pen and paper. Create interactive games around your school, campus, or community for your students to complete. Send your students on scavenger hunts to explore geometric shapes, nature, and history. Have your students create games for a field trip or visitors to explore your community. Create educational scavenger hunts for your students or have them create their own scavenger hunt for their classmates. Creating a game would be a wonderful challenge for your gifted students to take their knowledge beyond the required curriculum. Create mysteries for the students to solve as they explore their surroundings or challenge your students to create mysteries for their classmates to solve.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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Video Lectures - Video Lectures Net
Grades
5 to 12
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Enjoy and use award-winning educational science (and some math) videos. Presented by distinguished scholars and scientists, the videos originated during conferences, summer schools,...more
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Enjoy and use award-winning educational science (and some math) videos. Presented by distinguished scholars and scientists, the videos originated during conferences, summer schools, workshops, and science promotional events. Peruse the Nobel laureate speakers section to become inspired. Categories featured include architecture, arts, astronomy, biology, business, chemistry, computers, computer science, Earth sciences, environment, events, health sciences, humanities, life sciences, mathematics, medicine, military, philosophy, physics, regional, science, social sciences, sports, and technology. There is a free newsletter where you can stay up to date with the latest science information.
In the Classroom
Keep your students minds wondering with the latest thoughts in science. Use this to create your own, science news events day. Use one of these videos as a center when students are studying a related topic. Share the videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ask Nature: Why Teach Biomimicry - Biomimcry Institute
Grades
10 to 12
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Inspire your students to SEE the natural world differently! Biomimicry is the imitation of nature's best design ideas to solve human problems. Immerse yourself in the lessons, videos,...more
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Inspire your students to SEE the natural world differently! Biomimicry is the imitation of nature's best design ideas to solve human problems. Immerse yourself in the lessons, videos, activities, and tools offered in this resource. Be sure to check out the links along the side that include Resource Types and Resource Audiences (Youth (K-12), and University). Be sure to notice the extensions, homework, assessments, and other ideas offered with each of the activities. Lessons in the toolkit are arranged in sections: Introduction (exploring what is Biomimicry), Exploring Nature (connecting students with nature), Case studies, Function (how strategies of other organisms can help with our own functioning), Pattern, and Design Projects (to teach the design process). Battle of the Beaks and Velcro Race Game are lesson examples in the Function section. Join the Biomomicry network and connect with others. Find examples of Biomimicry and Cool Biology topics under the Categories section of this resource. Note: Not sure what Biomimicry is? Learn more about Biomimicry in this article.
In the Classroom
It will be very beneficial to spend some time with the toolkit to see all that it offers. Use the resources to engage students in content that would otherwise be considered dull to some students. Use the lessons to change from teacher-led information about topics to research-driven student investigations. Use the lessons to provide a vital connection students need to the natural world that is becoming increasingly lost with each generation. Find simple activities found on the Core Concepts pages. Each section has articles and other resources for better understanding. Many of the resources encourage questioning, the creation of ideas, and formation of solutions. Other resources (such as in the Core Concepts), encourage students to look at nature differently and understand how we are part of nature and the biodiversity on Earth. Expand many of the Patterns lessons to identify how humans have copied patterns found in nature around us and how these patterns improve our designs (ex. the shape of an egg/strength of an arch). This resource would be a wonderful extension of the classroom for motivated students, especially gifted! Include it as a challenge level during a unit on plants and other science topics for your gifted middle schoolers. Assign each group a specific concept of Biomimicry to learn and understand. Enhance student learning by having students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Venngage, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Science News Explores - Society for Science and the Public
Grades
6 to 12
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Find science current events and more with this wonderful site. This section also includes information on STEM careers and teaching science to teenagers. Find interesting articles and...more
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Find science current events and more with this wonderful site. This section also includes information on STEM careers and teaching science to teenagers. Find interesting articles and information about Atoms and Forces, Earth and Sky, Humans and Health, and more. Below each article is words used in the article and their meanings. Find information about science projects in the Student Resources section.
In the Classroom
Be sure to check the Educators section to find articles by curriculum topic. Use this site as a resource for current events projects or to relate classroom material to students lives and the world around them. Use the articles by finding an interesting tidbit of information to capture student attention before the start of a new content unit or chapter. Be sure to point out that science discoveries have led to the information about the natural world that we presently have today. Challenge cooperative learning groups to investigate one of the topics and create a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Be sure to include this link on your class page for students to find interesting articles and information about Atoms and Forces, Earth and Sky, Humans and Health, and more. Add the RSS feed from this site to your class Flipboard account.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay Bridge Construction 1934-1936 - The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
Grades
6 to 12
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This collection of photographs of the construction of both the Golden Gate and the San Francisco Bay Bridge during the mid-1930s helps illustrate what a massive undertaking these projects...more
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This collection of photographs of the construction of both the Golden Gate and the San Francisco Bay Bridge during the mid-1930s helps illustrate what a massive undertaking these projects were. San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is one of the United States' iconic landmarks. It's come to symbolize the vitality of the US West Coast and of the building projects that sprang from the later years of the Great Depression. There are both individual photographs, relevant documents, and a PowerPoint presentation overview of the construction of the Golden Gate. The articles accompanying the photos include extensive data about the structure and the challenges in accomplishing the construction.
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In the Classroom
These are great primary source images and documents for the study of 1930s construction projects related to the rebuilding of the US during the final years of the Great Depression. Share the PowerPoint and photographs on your interactive whiteboard. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Presentious, reviewed here. This tool allows narrating and adding text to a picture. To find Creative Commons images (with credit, of course), try Wikimedia Commons, reviewed here. Use the photos as part of a physics or technology unit about bridges. Include this as one of several structures for students to research and analyze using their new-found concepts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tynker - Krishna Vedati
Grades
3 to 8
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Learn computer coding using simple and easy activities, lesson plans, and an interface sure to please all ages! Sign up for your free account and once your dashboard is displayed ...more
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Learn computer coding using simple and easy activities, lesson plans, and an interface sure to please all ages! Sign up for your free account and once your dashboard is displayed choose from several helpful videos to get started. To find the Hour of Code click Courses from the left menu and find several including Lesson Plans and Teacher Guides. Learn to code by dropping blocks of commands into sequence on the left side of the screen and seeing the results along the right. The lessons provide step by step instructions, missions, and other materials to learn to code. Teachers can create a class and add students to the class. Click on student view of each lesson to see the tools and student tasks. Follow the instructions along the right panel. Note the tools that are along the top including undo and redo! This tool also features a question bar along the top. Note: This free portion of the resource offers four Coding Courses, weekly STEM Projects, Hour of Code Activities, Project Templates, Coding Tools (Block & Text), Unlimited Student Accounts, Student Progress Metrics, and Professional Development. Sign up for a free account by selecting Teacher and using Google, your email, Apple, Microsoft.
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In the Classroom
Use this tool to learn basic coding skills. Students will quickly catch on to this program when allowed to "tinker" and see what they can make. Provide a simple assignment with defined rules/tasks to learn the tools. Younger students may familiarize themselves more easily working with a partner. Be sure to recommend that students "ask three before me" (the teacher). Have students use an online storyboard to write down what they plan to do/draw/say with their creation, and to help you keep tabs on students and their progress. For enhancing learning and technology use create a digital storyboard with Story Map, reviewed here, or Storyboard Generator, reviewed here. When finished with these Tynker lessons, move to other free tools such as Scratch, reviewed here. Teachers of even very young gifted students can turn them loose with these challenges when they have already mastered math or science curriculum. Have them create a creature they can explain to the class or share with gifted peers in other classrooms.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching NGSS Engineering Design Through Media - PBS LearningMedia
Grades
K to 12
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Teaching NGSS Engineering Design Through Media offers a large collection of media-based resources to bring engineering (and Next Gen Science) to students at all grade levels. Think...more
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Teaching NGSS Engineering Design Through Media offers a large collection of media-based resources to bring engineering (and Next Gen Science) to students at all grade levels. Think of design as problem solving by applying science and math. Begin browsing by choosing from grade level options for descriptions of activities including grade level and type of resource offered. Each activity includes additional resource links, correlations to Next Gen Science Standards, and support materials. Discover the most popular resources by viewing the number of times other users designated them as favorites. Learn about wind powered vehicles, mechanical arms, designing a skyscraper, and much more. Everything on the site is free; however, after viewing three resources you will be prompted to create your free account. Account creation offers the ability to save and favorite resources.
In the Classroom
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of many different STEM-based topics. Use this site for enrichment or to help non-readers understanding concepts through video. Include it on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Enhance learning and have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. To extend learning have students create a multimedia infographic sharing their findings using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Made By Milk Carton Construction Contest - Evergreen Packaging
Grades
K to 12
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Whether the contest is over or not, there is plenty for classroom teachers to use here. Think about having your own class or school wide contest with custodians, bus drivers, ...more
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Whether the contest is over or not, there is plenty for classroom teachers to use here. Think about having your own class or school wide contest with custodians, bus drivers, administration, secretaries, etc as the judges. Made By Milk Contest (a design and building challenge) simply your students to learn in a creative way. Of course you can make your own rules or follow the ones on this site. Create a design using 100 or more milk cartons. Take pictures of the completed project, and include a short essay explaining what was your student's idea. Be sure to check out the Past Winners page for ideas on what it takes to create a winner. Even if you do not want to have a contest, be sure to check out the wonderful STEM projects to try within your school or at home, so check out the Educational Resources.
In the Classroom
This project is perfect for individual classroom participation, Art Clubs, or after school clubs. Incorporate this project into your math class and have students count the number of cartons used, estimate how many cartons needed, or calculate how long it will take to gather the number of needed cartons. Join in the challenge in conjunction with a science unit on structures or a physics unit at much higher levels. Include as part of your nutrition unit to help students understand the importance of dairy in a healthy diet. Share this information with your PTO/PTA as a possible "makers movement" idea for an evening of fun and learning, even if you never enter the official contest. Let your gifted students (or a school service club) organize and plan a mini-version of the contest within your school, perhaps using the smaller milk cartons from the cafeteria. Make re-using milk cartons a creative event for Earth Day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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My NASA Data - NASA
Grades
3 to 12
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What better way to learn science than by "doing science"? My NASA Data provides satellite images, charts, and graphs to analyze information from real world problems. Where to start?...more
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What better way to learn science than by "doing science"? My NASA Data provides satellite images, charts, and graphs to analyze information from real world problems. Where to start? Best place is the Lesson Plan tab. Here, find a variety of lessons that can be used in any classroom. Lessons are sorted by High School, Middle School, Elementary. View climate change lessons, Stand alone lessons (a great way to get started), and 50 or 90 minute lessons. Find great ideas that are multi-day projects. Each lesson plan features outcomes, pre-requisite knowledge, tools, National and AP standards as well as Virginia State standards. Be sure to use the linked vocabulary they provide and view all the lesson links. The included background information, procedures, student questions, and extensions are invaluable in planning the lessons. Be sure to go to the bottom of each lesson page to click on the Teachers Notes and to even view the lesson without the standards.
In the Classroom
For younger grades, learn about "Basic Line Plots" or "Creating a Bar Graph." There are many other lessons including "The Sun's Energy," "Solar Power," and "Seasons." For Middle School Students, identify "Aruba Cloud Cover Measured by Satellite," "Is Grandpa Right, Were Winters Colder When He Was A Boy," or "Does Humidity Affect Cloud Formation?" Older students can discover "Variable Affecting Earth's Albedo," "March of the Polar Bears: Global Change, Sea Ice, and Wildlife Migration," "Carbon Monoxide and Population Density" or "Hurricane Research." Though there is a large amount of lessons that coordinate with environmental issues, be sure to click on all the lesson plans to view all the possibilities. There is an unbelievable amount of topics to choose from that can fit in any science curriculum or many other type of classrooms at any age.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bootstrap - Emmanuel Schanzer
Grades
8 to 12
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Explore this free curriculum for applying algebra in the creation of videogames. Students create code and learn the basics of program design and not just writing code. Though workshops...more
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Explore this free curriculum for applying algebra in the creation of videogames. Students create code and learn the basics of program design and not just writing code. Though workshops are available to attend, at a cost, materials for teaching are also found online in HTML or PDF form. After Bootstrap I, continue with Bootstrap II which applies the fundamentals of Trigonometry. The activities align with Common Core Math and Engineering standards. Code writing in Bootstrap uses a tool that requires a Gmail account. Some of the video clips are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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In the Classroom
Bootstrap is best used in a Math or Technology class. Additionally, students who are interested in the topic can learn as part of an extra project (Graduation Project or after school program) or as part of a Gifted Program. Check out the information in the Materials section to view content covered. Use these tips for safely managing email registrations.
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Crunchzilla - Crunchzilla
Grades
3 to 12
2 Favorites
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Learn basic computer coding skills using this tool. There are three difficulty levels: Code Monster for preteens (or even younger), Code Maven for teens and young adults, or Game Maven...more
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Learn basic computer coding skills using this tool. There are three difficulty levels: Code Monster for preteens (or even younger), Code Maven for teens and young adults, or Game Maven for ages 16+. Code Monster prompts younger students to change various parameters of an already given code. As they enter different parts to the code, the changes in the object can be seen immediately. Simply click on the dialogue bubble and a new lesson will appear. Unfortunately, creations cannot be saved. (Students can screenshot their creations.) Use Code Maven with older teens, though it appears to have the same lessons as Code Monster. Game Maven is the third and most advanced programming tutorial in this series. Use this to teach a little about programming by creating easy games. In all three tools, skip to further lessons by clicking on the dialogue balloons. Use the back button to return to previous lessons. It is also easy to undo a lesson and start a code over with the reset button. In all tools, if you return to the same browser on the same machine, it will return to the last lesson you were on. Note: Be sure to have played with Code Maven prior to using Game Maven as those lessons are needed to understand how to program (unless there is prior coding experience).
In the Classroom
When discussing computer science and how technology touches all of our lives, be sure to discuss coding and that it is a language that everyone can learn. Show the HTML markup of a page to show what the computer "reads" to form what websites look like. Use these tools to show basics in coding. When students are working, be sure to not rescue them with answers. Encourage learning by telling them to ask three other students first before asking the teacher AND that it is okay if we learn it together. Use other coding programs such as Scratch, reviewed here. Have students create a tutorial or a quick reference guide for using coding. Create a class wiki using TWiki, here, to share your reference guide. If you want to learn more about wikis, check out the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through. Share this site with your young gamers to lure them into the logical world of coding -- and actually build STEM skills in the process.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Chemistry Now - NBC Universal Media, LLC
Grades
6 to 12
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Use this free tool to bring Chemistry alive in your classroom. Connect Chemistry concepts with topics that students can identify and connect with. These short videos are sure to engage...more
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Use this free tool to bring Chemistry alive in your classroom. Connect Chemistry concepts with topics that students can identify and connect with. These short videos are sure to engage students in thinking about Chemistry around them and strengthen their understanding of concepts. Though this larger site charges for access, this particular tool is free. When viewing the video, click on the Transcript tab to view the transcript and share with individual students or the class.
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In the Classroom
Use the Cheeseburger Chemistry series of videos to explain very common Chemistry concepts in the classroom, from the bread of the cheeseburger down to the condiments! View Chemistry all throughout the household including cleaners, fibers and dyes, pain medicines, the chemistry of color and smell, and more. Be sure to use these short videos to garner interest in a topic at the start of a unit. Apply a concept learned to the real world for better understanding. Be sure to place this link on your class page for students to view. Students can view the videos and introduce the material to the class as a version of current events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Open Yale Courses - Yale University
Grades
9 to 12
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Open Yale Courses offers free (non-credit) introductory courses taught by teachers and scholars at Yale University. Open access allows participants to view videos, download transcripts,...more
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Open Yale Courses offers free (non-credit) introductory courses taught by teachers and scholars at Yale University. Open access allows participants to view videos, download transcripts, and receive all related course materials at any time. Choose from courses in topics ranging from English, History, African-American Studies, Languages, and many more. They offer countless topics: Art History, Psychology, various languages and literatures (Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian), Chemistry, American History, and many more.
In the Classroom
This is an excellent resource for gifted students as well as students interested in viewing high quality college level course material. Browse through topics of interest for your AP or IB classroom and use selected videos for viewing on your interactive whiteboard (or projector). Share a link on your class webpage for students to view at home. Teachers of gifted may want to suggest that students form small cohorts to explore one of the course of particular interest to them. Music and art history teachers will find rich materials to include in their high school courses, as well.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The 25 Best Nerd Road Trips - Popular Science
Grades
9 to 12
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Take a virtual "nerd trip" with science-history geeks. The name of this resource is sure to catch some interest, and the locations feature very interesting histories. Click on each...more
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Take a virtual "nerd trip" with science-history geeks. The name of this resource is sure to catch some interest, and the locations feature very interesting histories. Click on each point in the map to read a small synopsis of the site. You can also click links to learn more about many of the sites. We suggest you preview any information prior to sending students to explore on their own. The sites are nontraditional and can raise questions about "pop" science vs "real" science.
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In the Classroom
Use these "road trips" as a springboard for unusual research projects on science topics. These are great for gifted students or skeptical students who need the extra flare of researching something a little quirky. These are also great ideas for small group research. Encourage students to create presentations about real life science with its benefits and drawbacks. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Animatron, Sway, and Presentious. Be sure to discuss when science enters pop culture in our society. The Center for PostNatural History, one of the sites on this map, is one such example (located near Pittsburgh, PA where organisms have been altered genetically and possibly questionably.)Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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STEM Behind Hollywood - Texas Instruments
Grades
4 to 10
3 Favorites
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Discover the science and engineering behind many Hollywood Themes: Zombies, Space, Forensics, and Superheroes. Choose one of the themes to access information, videos, TI-Nspire downloads...more
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Discover the science and engineering behind many Hollywood Themes: Zombies, Space, Forensics, and Superheroes. Choose one of the themes to access information, videos, TI-Nspire downloads for interactive activities, and more. Each page also features related Math and Science Activities. The current hosts are Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory) and Dr. Z.
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In the Classroom
Pair this information and the related activities with classroom content, video clips, and data about related events (spreading of disease, space travel, etc.) Create discussions about various technologies, discoveries, and more to engage your students in the topics you are studying. Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share this link on your class website for students to explore at home and learn more about how Hollywood uses science and math in film, television, and beyond. Include this site in a careers unit so students can see how science can lead to many different careers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Population Education - Population Connection
Grades
6 to 12
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Learn about population! Highlights of this site include both world and US population counters. Be sure to check the Classroom tab to search for lessons, find information about population,...more
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Learn about population! Highlights of this site include both world and US population counters. Be sure to check the Classroom tab to search for lessons, find information about population, and more. Connect activities to your state's latest standards. This site also includes demonstration videos of some of the classroom activities. Although the site is selling some teaching materials and workshops, there are free lessons available. There are 15 Infographics highlighting global issues and trends. Find out about carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption, meat and paper consumption, global undernourishment, and many more issues. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
In the Classroom
Use the "Find a Lesson" search to discover population education activities and information that will be useful in your curriculum or classroom. Find demonstration videos of how to use the lessons within the classroom. Be sure to preview and show the World Population Video (aka: the "dot video") to your classes. Share the video on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these resources when discussing population of organisms and then discussing human population.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Alice - Carnegie Mellon University
Grades
6 to 12
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Alice will have your students in wonderland as they use this innovative 3D programming environment targeted to middle and high school students. Be the director of a movie or the ...more
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Alice will have your students in wonderland as they use this innovative 3D programming environment targeted to middle and high school students. Be the director of a movie or the creator of a video game. 3D objects appear in an on-screen virtual world imagined by the creator and move around according to the directions you give by dragging and dropping tiles. The drag and drop technique provides a more engaging programming experience for first-time programmers. Alice provides exposure to object-oriented programming. Alice has practical value for students to learn how computers think. The instructions correspond to standard statements in a production oriented programming language, such as Java, C++, and C#. While using Alice, programmers can immediately see how their animation program runs and the behavior of the objects in their animation. Manipulate camera angles and lighting to make further enhancements. Alice is a revolutionary method to teach programming, especially to first-time learners. It allows students to understand programming concepts, a 21st-century skill.
In the Classroom
Be sure to check with your Technology Department, as many districts require authorization to download or install new applications. Plan ahead as you request that this application be installed on your classroom or laptop cart computers. Alice provides an opportunity to enhance learning for students by creating and learning how to problem solve. Subscribe to the teacher list to receive updates and integration ideas for Alice. The purpose of this list is to provide an easy way to ask questions and collaborate with the Alice teaching community. View and use activities to increase programming knowledge and the use of the Alice program.Students quickly catch on to Alice when allowed to play and easily see what they can make from it. Provide a simple assignment with defined rules/tasks to learn the tools as well as the drag and drop interface. Have students use a storyboard to organize their creation in order to keep tabs on students and their creations. Replace the paper and pencil storyboard by using a digital storyboard like Story Map, reviewed here, or Storyboarder, reviewed here. Build games to review curricular material for assessments. Have students create videos or digital stories to bring a subject to life. Teachers of gifted can turn their students loose to create animations about individual interests or research projects.
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Global Closet Calculator - National Geographic Education
Grades
2 to 10
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Take a tour of your closet to find out where your clothes come from. Discover the concept of interdependence and the extent of our global footprints. Research where raw materials ...more
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Take a tour of your closet to find out where your clothes come from. Discover the concept of interdependence and the extent of our global footprints. Research where raw materials come from and how clothes are made. Consider the implications of manufacturing and transportation to get them to your closet. This interactive includes informative videos complete with transcript. You can save your place within the interactive by "getting a code" that you re-enter on return.
In the Classroom
When discussing the Food and Fiber system (materials used to produce food and the many products we use daily), use this site to gather initial information of where their items come from. As products are no longer made closer to our actual lives, many students are disconnected from the materials and processes used to create everyday products and are unaware of their global footprint. Students can continue research by investigating other items used daily to determine what they are made from, where they are manufactured, etc. Continue this process with the foods that they eat to show how many popular foods are very removed from the whole foods that we should be eating. In geography classes, have students use a reviewed geo/mapping tool from the TeachersFirst Edge to map the path across the globe from raw materials to finished products, just to make one pair of jeans. Discuss the role of natural resources and economics in determining this path.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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American Lung Association - American Lung Association
Grades
6 to 12
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Find information about lung disease and issues related to healthy lungs. Be sure to click on Healthy Air in the subject bar to find information about our health and air ...more
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Find information about lung disease and issues related to healthy lungs. Be sure to click on Healthy Air in the subject bar to find information about our health and air quality, both indoors and out. Some of the specific topic areas include Your Lungs, Lung Disease, Finding Cures, Healthy Air, and Stop Smoking. There are many ideas shared on this site about how to live a healthier lifestyle.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Be sure to check out the Power Plant Impacts Page. View the source data linked below the images. Students can brainstorm why the map looks this way and what kind of impacts there are from power plants. Students can research as teams the issues from various power plants and effects on air quality and human health. Share findings with others by creating traditional projects (bulletin board or flyers) or multimedia presentations of the information. Use one of the many TeachersFirst Edge multimedia tools. Compare the air quality of the United States with that of other countries. What factors and government influences contribute to the differences that we see?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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I want to be... - The Ad Council
Grades
4 to 12
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Learn about recycling and the vast array of products that are made out of recycled materials. Use the How to Recycle section to learn about the various types of materials ...more
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Learn about recycling and the vast array of products that are made out of recycled materials. Use the How to Recycle section to learn about the various types of materials that are recycled, how to recycle them, and the new items they become. In Recycling Journey, follow an item from curbside pickup to the new item it becomes. Visit Spread the Word and share information about recycling with others you know via social media. Put in your local zip code to find opportunities to recycle in your local area. After viewing the main areas of this site, engage your students by having them play the game.
In the Classroom
First, after viewing the main areas of this site, engage your students by having them play the game "Super Sorter." For Earth Day or everyday, use this site to raise awareness about the energy that is used to create items and how energy can be saved by using recycled materials. Students can research statistics about the various items used in the United States and abroad. Discover why recycling is an important endeavor to combat pollution and energy use. Create a public service announcement for your school or community to learn more about the benefits of recycling. Initiate a recycling campaign and create a center for recycling many items from the school including paper. Classes can tally the pounds of materials saved for recycling. Have students create informational commercials using a multimedia tool such as Genially, reviewed here. With Genially you can insert maps, surveys, video, audio and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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