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return to subject listingSurging Seas: Sea Level Risk Finder - Cimate Central
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use this tool to discuss how climate change is affecting sea level, as well as other weather events that have been in the news. Be sure to talk about energy and how it is produced and why all combustion reactions produce carbon dioxide. Research the composition of the atmosphere and why changes in certain gases can cause such a problem. Be sure to have students check out the validity of different sources and sites for accuracy and statistics and data that backs up the viewpoint. Rather than scare students, discuss ways that everyone in the world can create a greener Earth for tomorrow. Challenge students to research and then create 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, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Presentious.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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TED-ED - Ted.com
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Choose a video or create your own videos for students to use for review. After students view a video that has the questions, show one that doesn't, and have students generate questions for it. Assign videos for students to view at home or in the computer lab. Use them as a springboard for engaging writing prompts or to spark a discussion connected with a unit of study. Challenge students to do a compare/contrast activity using an online Venn Diagram tool, reviewed here. Most of the videos are less than twenty minutes, which makes it realistic to use them in a one-period class lesson or if you are implementing blended learning or flipped learning in your classroom or school (leaving class time for asking questions and clarifying).Show a video or two with your class and discuss the set up of the lesson. Discuss the difference between basic comprehension questions and open-ended questions. Show your students an inspirational video or two from TED reviewed here. As a class, pick out eight or ten of the TED videos and allow students to sign up to work on one of the videos. Have cooperative learning groups develop a TED Ed video lesson. You will need to proofread all work using a word processor, before allowing students to upload their questions on TED Ed.
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Inhabitat - Inhabitat, LLC
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
When discussing environmental topics, be sure to share this link on your class website or on a class computer for students to access information about great technological breakthroughs. Use when students are researching technological advancements of their choice. Challenge individual students or cooperative learning groups to read one of the articles and report their findings to the class, making connections to some of the topics you study. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Venngage reviewed here. If you teach about advertising techniques inventions, challenge your students to select a "product" from this site to create a new advertisement using a specific technique. The innovative ideas will spark their interest! Use articles from this site for reading comprehension selections that will interest even the most reluctant readers. The articles are also useful prompts for persuasive writing or debates.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List: The Way Things Work - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Have students choose a book they can connect to concepts you are studying in science class or have them choose a book of interest and generate a list of the questions they would like to learn about after reading the book. The non-fiction selections offer possible informational texts to practice Common Core science literacy skills. For more on text complexity and Lexiles''''®, see this information from the Lexile Framework.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What is nano? - Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Teaching nanotechnology theory can be hard. Make the abstract idea concrete with the activities in the DIY Nano section of this website. Use the activities in the lab. In no time at all, students will be wrapping their minds around the tiny world of nanometers and nanotechnology. Encourage students to download the application if they have a smart phone and experiment further at home with their parents. (It's FREE!) This could really ignite a worthwhile career for aspiring scientists!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Promethean Planet - Promethean, Inc
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Before you try any of these activities, think about how you can make the lesson more student-centered. Find ideas in TeachersFirst's Hands off, Vanna! Giving Students Control of Interactive Whiteboard Learning . Browse the site for interactive whiteboard resources to download for classroom use. Bookmark and save favorites for later use. Download any resource, then tweak it to your individual needs. Have questions about creating Promethean Flipcharts? Post your question on the technical board to receive helpful replies. If you have a SmartBoard, be sure to check out the SmartBoard lessons and resources page located here. You will need to download the ActivInspire software (free).Comments
This is the go-to site for Promethean flipchart downloads. Most files were created by teachers. The only downside is that the files are hit-or-miss. There are many gems, but you might have to browse some not-so-great files to find them.Tim, , Grades: 0 - 6
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Top 100 Innovations of 2021 - Popular Science
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use when studying inventions and the industrial revolution. Today's inventions can be compared to inventions of the past. Students can explain how one of the innovations work or imagine the creation of a mashup of two of these inventions into a brand new gadget. Create an advertising campaign to sell these inventions. Ask students how they would improve on these gadgets. Discuss which gadgets are still being offered today and the improvements that were made on them. 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): Presentious, Animatron, Renderforest, and Desygner.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Do Lectures - Talks That Inspire Action - The Chicken Shed
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Do Lectures are a great place to find inspiration and new ideas for your classroom. Many of the videos connect today's real world with curriculum topics, even in entrepreneurship, health, or family and consumer science classes. Use Do Lecture videos as the perfect supplement or launching point for units of study in your classroom. Find a video that supports the topics happening in your classroom. Share on your website for student viewing. Use on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) for a whole class discussion. Stop the video at various points to discuss or debate ideas included. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos in response to videos viewed on Do Lectures or their own topic. Share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. Teachers of gifted could plan an entire unit of study around one video or have students select one to use as the launch point for an independent project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Famous Scientists - famousscientists.org
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
The reading level of this site is rather challenging. Have weaker readers work together with stronger ones. While discussing scientists and inventors, use this site as a resource for gathering information. Have small groups of students research scientists from the same time period. Have them research their contributions including reactions of others to their discovery or invention. Research why these inventions were particularly important and the scientific knowledge that changed as a result. Have them present their findings to the class by creating 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, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online. Then, if you would like to take your students critical thinking up a notch and extend their learning, you could have the small groups compare the different inventions and decide how and why the earlier inventions had to come before a later invention could be developed. For this you might want to have students use a collaborative graphic organizer like Canva Edu, reviewed here, and have them report out their thoughts and discoveries to the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Useful charts - UsefulCharts Publishing
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Share a visual overview of a topic on projector or IWB before teaching or as a reference before lessons that zero in on subtopics. Use this site to teach data and the graphic display of data. Allow groups of students to choose a graphic and report to the class on how the data was made more meaningful using the graphics that were chosen. You may also want to share this link as a research tool for debates or presentations on science or social studies topics. Share the timeline or graphic on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Discuss the science, history, or math behind the data collected. Discuss other information and ways of presenting the information in order to create a more interesting graphic. Have students try their hand at creating an infographic using a tool such as Snappa, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Explore Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emmissions - EPA
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site during a unit on pollution. First be sure to discuss what combustion is. Choose facilities found within your state to investigate. Compare similar facilities across various states to compare emissions. Have students or groups compare by facility type (especially different types of power generation) then research the type of fuel used to determine the different emissions. Research how emissions compare to the driving of automobiles and the use of agriculture. Research the types of changes and alternatives that could change these numbers. Have students make simple infographics to show comparisons and conclusions. Try using a tool such as Venngage, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Naked Scientists - University of Cambridge
Grades
5 to 12In the Classroom
Use Naked Science to explore topics as an introduction in class. Or use these articles to hook students during a start-of-school "what is science" unit. Use the site to find answers to many of the tough questions that students can pose during classroom instruction. Provide time for students to research the facets of a topic as a group for lively group or class discussions. Discuss the set up of the problems, description of the theories, or how to separate fact from opinion. Research the backgrounds of the experts on this site. Teachers of gifted students and regular classroom teachers seeking ways to adapt for gifted students will find this site well-suited to the eclectic interests and angles of out-of-the-box thinkers. Be sure to share the link on your class web page.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PBS Video Online - PBS
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Teachers you can now access videos from PBS without having to record them. Use the subject search to find videos relevant to a unit of study. Display videos with your projector or add a link to your class website so students can watch at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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QR Code Classroom Implementation Guide - Vicki Davis
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
QR codes are a sure-fire motivator for any class equipped with their own smart phones or school iTouches/iPads. Choose one of the ideas suggested in the article as a starting point for using QR codes in your classroom; then try additional ideas a little at a time. Share the article with other teachers and split up the ideas for each to become an "expert" in one of the strategies, share your experiences as you learn together.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Center for PRobing the NanoScale - Nano Activities - Stanford University
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
Are you struggling to wrap young minds around the tiny world of nanoscale? Lessons are appropriate for grades two to twelve, but could be adapted if you are teaching middle level students who have never been introduced to the world of nanotechnology. As an introduction for students who have never thought about nano, talk about how the use of this technology created better underwear that help prevent odor and decrease sweating. This is sure to start an interesting conversation. Just make sure that you set boundaries before you begin the discussion. See what other lines of clothing students could "create" with nanotechnology. Have them share their "inventions" on a class wiki or in 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): Genially, Animatron, Renderforest, and Desygner.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Science Video Animation - Russell Kightley media
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use the simulations to help explain topics and concepts in class. Language arts teachers can use this site as a source for nonfiction reading comprehension. Science and language arts teachers can use the site as a learning center for students who need enrichment. Find great animations to help visualize various topics from different viruses to diesel engines, the Doppler Effect, to the garden sundial, and the vertical sundial to name just a few. Check the readability of the animations you want students to use on their own by using the The Readability Test Tool reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Art of Science - Jonathan Harris and Grady Klein, Princeton University
Grades
5 to 12In the Classroom
Share these images as inspiration to begin a related curriculum unit or to draw students into the powerful world of scientific discovery. Explore and discuss "What is science?" by viewing these images. Consider taking up close pictures of what your students see when they are looking at their labs in your science class. Include the arts in your science class by asking your arts-oriented students to talk about why the images are artistically appealing as an avenue into the world of science. Challenge students to watch for similar art/science photos-- or perhaps take their own -- and add them to a class art or science wiki page. Invite your art teacher (if you have one) to share these photos in art class, as well.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Think - Cathy Sheafor
Grades
K to 8In the Classroom
Use this site to create a "think outside of the box" space in your classroom. Keep the area stocked with materials and activity sheets. Use the area as a place for students to go when they finish up work. Better yet, make design thinking part of your science curriculum by tying in some of these challenges with curriculum topics such as gravity, forces, materials, and more. Set one Friday a month aside as "think outside of the box" day, and use the activities from the site. Send home an activity as extra credit homework and create a museum of student's creations. Make this link available on your class web page for parents to access during school breaks or snow days.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Numbersleuth: Magnifying the Universe - Science is Beautiful
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Provide time for student groups to explore this tool, record observations, discuss information they know, and generate questions. Research information to answer questions. Use this site before discussing the metric system or conversions between various units. It can be used to discuss the use of significant figures and errors in measurements and numbers. Use it as a springboard to measuring and comparing various items that students are familiar with. Embed this on to your class site for easy access by students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Spreaker - Spreaker Online Radio
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Enjoy a live radio show from your classroom! Publish written pieces of writing, science reports, social studies reports, and any other reports you would like to share. Create a New Book or Book Review podcast for the media center. Link to your podcast URL on your class website. Publish directions to projects, explanations for difficult concepts, or even a radio show of you reading your favorite books for your students. Have upper elementary students take turns reading aloud for a podcast aimed at little reading buddies in kindergarten. Allow students to podcast to "pen pals" in faraway places. Record your school choir, orchestra group, poetry club, or drama club doing their best work or dramatic readings of Shakespeare soliloquies. Take your school newspaper to a new level with recorded radio articles. Be sure to include interviews with students, teachers, principals, parents, authors, artists, and almost anyone. In younger grades, use to save an audio portfolio of reading fluency, expression, or to aid with running records or even include writing. Be sure do this regularly throughout the year to analyze growth. Have fun at Halloween with your Halloween station filled with favorite spooky stories! Welcome your students to a new school year by sending them your message. Create messages for classmates who move away. Bring your foreign language classes an extra resource of your pronunciations whenever they need more practice. ESL/ELL, special education classes can often benefit from the extra explanations, practice, and elaborated instructions given at their own pace. The possibilities are endless! The site itself is a "web 2.0," social networking style site, so some schools may have it blocked. Ask about unblocking just YOUR teacher account so you can have students access it while at school and under your supervision.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)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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