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Vox - Vox Media
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Share specific articles from this site -- or a collection of them-- for students to gain experience with informational texts that demystify the headlines they are seeing on the TV screen crawl. Use examples from this site as models for student groups to do research to explain a science or economics topic that has been in the news and share it with peers as a digital poster showing the top ten things they should know about X. Use a tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to create a "poster" of sticky notes. Not only will your students gain experience reading for understanding, but also choosing the most important things to know from an article. Use this approach for students to research and share articles in health class (such as on new vaccines or discoveries) or on national issues during an election cycle. Be sure to include this link on your class web page for upper grade students to find current events articles (along with a disclaimer that some topics may be controversial).You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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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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Arizona Kid's Page - State of Arizona
Grades
3 to 8In the Classroom
Share this site with students when working on state research projects. Display photos included on the site with your interactive whiteboard or projector when discussing Arizona, the Grand Canyon, or other areas of the state. Copy and use the coloring pages with the state seal, flag, and other images when learning about the state of Arizona. Rather than having students create a traditional research project, enhance learning by having students create a multimedia presentation using Thinglink, reviewed here. This site allows you to narrate a picture.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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AOL 5min Life Videopedia - 5 Min Media, Ltd.
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
This resource would be fantastic as a lesson or as a class opener to get students thinking about a particular topic. It also would be helpful for relating classroom topics and content to real life events. Filter the appropriate videos for your students by embedding them in a on your own website or wiki so that students are not distracted. With older students, you can have them use this as a resource to embed video clips or links in presentations and projects for their own classes. Try sharing one of the How To videos with your students in science class, and then have them make their own how to five minute video to demonstrate a lab. Share the videos using a tool such as SchoolTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Timeline: US-Cuba Relations - Council on Foreign Relations
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
No lesson on the Spanish American War, the Cold War, or US diplomatic relations within the Americas is complete without an examination of the tensions between the US and Cuba. The timeline is suitable for use on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Share or embed this tool into a classroom website or blog.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lincoln's Assassination - Ford's Theatre
Grades
5 to 12In the Classroom
Include this website with your Civil War unit, President's Day, or Abraham Lincoln lessons. Instead of gathering information from textbooks to learn about Lincoln's death, ask students to be the investigators and gather and analyze facts on their own. Begin by sharing the questions found on this site using Padlet, reviewed here. Create a column for each question in your Padlet, then have students add evidence found on this site and others to support their answer. To enhance learning and help students organize their thinking, use a timeline creator from ReadWriteThink, reviewed here, to understand the order of events. Transform student learning as a final activity, by asking students to share their findings including evidence in an explainer video created with Typito, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ken Burns in the Classroom - PBS Learning Media
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use this resource as a starting point to find many primary sources and videos of historical importance. Take advantage of the lesson ideas and activities to include with your current lessons and activities. Engage students in learning by asking them to watch videos and browse through images before teaching your lesson. Ask them to post their thoughts and questions on FigJam, reviewed here, to help guide the focus of your lesson. Extend learning and help students visualize the order of events by creating a digital timeline using Knights' Lab Timeline JS, reviewed here. Add media from online sites to your timeline from YouTube, Vimeo, Google Maps, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Today's Document - National Archives
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Today's Document would make a fantastic discussion starter in any classroom. It is an engaging, visual way for students to acquire background knowledge about American history, the Constitution, and government through primary source documents. Share this site with students as a springboard for American History research projects. Visit TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Research Strategies, reviewed here to find additional resources to teach and develop research skills.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Global Youth Perspectives - Global Oneness Project
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Utilize these free lesson ideas and videos to incorporate into any lessons on tolerance, empathy, culture, and to bring a personal touch to learning about nations around the world. Consider using the embed code found in each video and add the video to your class website for students to view at home before your lesson. Ask students to provide a short response to the video on an online bulletin board like Pinside, reviewed here, then use these responses to guide your lesson. The following ideas lend themselves to using this resource for project-based learning or blended learning: At the start of students' ongoing research, share How to Research: Ultimate Guide, reviewed here. Enhance learning by using information learned to create infographics with Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Instead of a typical report or assessment at the end of your unit extend students' learning by having them use Odyssey, reviewed here to build a virtual field trip to tell the story of students in other cultures. Include links to articles, videos, student-created infographics, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World Sites Atlas - sitesatlas.com
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Share this site with your students on your interactive whiteboard or projector, and then allow them to explore on their own on classroom computers. Create a scavenger hunt for students to find information included on maps located on the site. Have students find interesting facts, then prepare a scavenger hunt for other students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Museum of the American Indian - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Be sure to bookmark this site for use with lessons on Thanksgiving, using primary sources, or when teaching about Native Americans. Consider using curation tools such as Padlet, reviewed here, or Wakelet, reviewed here, to organize resources for easy retrieval. Padlet and Wakelet are also handy when sharing information and resources with students. As you begin your lessons on American Indians, begin with a formative assessment to gauge your students' understanding of the topic. Use an easy online quiz tool such as Baamboozle, reviewed here, to engage students in your learning activities. As you continue in your lessons, continue to motivate and engage students using Wooclap, reviewed here, to review information either in class or as a homework activity. Instead of testing to assess knowledge upon completing your unit, offer students the opportunity to share their understanding of content in various ways. Examples include creating an infographic using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, an explainer video made using Clipchamp, reviewed here, and an interactive map built using Google My Maps, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Poetry and Music of the War Between the States - civilwarpoetry.org
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Include this site with your Civil War unit resources. Have students upload a photo they have taken and add voice bubbles to explain what they learned using a tool such as Phrase.it, reviewed here. Or challenge cooperative learning groups to use one of the many other multimedia presentation TeachersFirst Edge tools found here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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AllSides - John Gable
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
This is an excellent site to easily find topics presented from various points of view. Use articles with students to demonstrate point of view in writing, bias in media, or for students to use as points for debates. Use an online tool such as Interactive Three Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to create a visual comparison of different points of view.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NCES Kids' Zone - NCES
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Strike an interest in your school and community by finding out where you rank. Investigate college choices. After short quizzes, have a daily comparison of your students to see how they compare in civics, economics, geography, history, mathematics, and science at multiple grade levels. Inspire students to collect data and make their own graphs about school wide topics. Have students create an online graph using ChartGizmo, reviewed here. Dig into probability problems to discover the odds.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kialo Edu - Kialo, Inc
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
Kialo is a great resource to find debate topics to use with your students; be sure to bookmark it. Explore the topics available on the public portion of the site and share the discussions with your students. Use the information to teach students how to include relevant information when debating any topic and point out the importance of viewing information through different perspectives. When ready, create your own topic for classroom debate using the private option. For example, have students debate the importance of the use of propaganda during World War 2 or the ethics of using animals when testing products. As students research your topic, have them use Wakelet, reviewed here, to bookmark and save their research. When complete, transform learning by asking students to use an infographic creation tool like Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to create an infographic based on their topic.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Battle of Gettysburg - Esri.com
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Explore the map and timeline on your interactive whiteboard with your class. Use the sources PDF and this page from TeachersFirst's Gettysburg by the Numbers to find additional Civil War and Gettysburg information. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore the map independently or in small groups. Have students create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Use information from this site and have students create their own battle timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Booklist: By the People - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Encourage students to select independent reading from this list as part of a citizenship unit, as a focus for Constitution Day, or in a civics/government class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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BlackPast - BlackPast.org
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
BlackPast is a must-have for any social studies classroom. Bookmark this resource to use when learning about Black history, African-American biographies, important events, and more. Consider creating a Padlet, reviewed here, to save different articles from BlackPast for students to easily access specific information. Use the shelf option to divide your Padlet into sections by date, topic, or events. Padlet also has a timeline feature when creating biographies or highlighting important dates within a specific time. Ask students to create blogs using Edublogs, reviewed here, to share information learned from this site. As students prepare to "show what they know," modify their technology use by asking them to use Sway, reviewed here, as a presentation tool and include images, videos, and student writing to share their learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Florida Kids Page - Florida Division of Historical Resources
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Share this site with students researching state symbols, native americans, or Florida. For students studying Florida, challenge cooperative learning groups to create online books about one part of this website. Use a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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U.S. Presidents: John F Kennedy - Miller Center - University of Virginia
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
View video clips with your class on your interactive whiteboard. Share a link with students for use on any project relating to United States presidents or John F Kennedy. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore the site independently or in small groups. Enhance learning by having students choose one speech and create a simple infographic sharing their findings about its themes using Venngage reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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