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Wisemapping - Wisemapping Corporation
Grades
6 to 12
2 Favorites
1 Comments
Sign up for a free account and you're on your way to creating a diagram (concept map, graphic organizer) to represent words, ideas, or tasks to aid in studying, organizing, ...more
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Sign up for a free account and you're on your way to creating a diagram (concept map, graphic organizer) to represent words, ideas, or tasks to aid in studying, organizing, or problem solving. Link documents to a wise map and share or embed diagrams with other maps.
In the Classroom
Users must be able to navigate the icons for editing and creating a mindmap. Icons and commands are the same as in any office and free applications that most people use. View the free demo for an introduction of using Wisemapping. Use the demo editor to play with the tools and learn what they do. Note: the demo function does not allow you to save your creation as it is a sandbox area for learning. Allow students an opportunity to learn to play first without teacher direction as each person will find different ways to use wisemapping for their best benefit. Click on a set of words to edit the words, color, font, etc. in the bubble. Drag items easily around the screen by clicking and dragging the icon to drop into a new configuration. Add "icons" and flags anywhere on your mindmap. Add a "note" to a bubble anywhere. The note appears like a little sticky note on the bubble and expands when clicked on. Add a "link" to any of the text on the wisemap that leads to any link on the web you specify. Export as a scalable vector graphic (svg), PDF document, or image file. "Share" to work collaboratively with others. Users must have a login in order to share and publish. Click on the "history" of a wisemap to view the contributions of others.Assign sections of current curriculum topic to groups of students to map out and explain in detail. Link to outside web pages and pictures and create notes with additional study hints and information. Assign a different group to review information for accuracy and add additional information and explanations. Using this process, a wisemap of a chapter or unit can be created easily and efficiently while benefiting all learners.
There are countless possibilities at this mental mapping site. Demonstrate the activity on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and then allow students to try to create their own graphic organizers. Use this site for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics of study. Use this site to create family trees. Have students collaborate together (online) to create group mind maps or review charts before tests on a given topic. Have students organize any concepts you study; color-code concepts to show what they understand, wonder, question; map out a story, plotline, or LIFETIME; map out a step-by-step process (life cycle); map a real historical event as a choose-your-own-adventure with alternate endings based on pivotal points; plan a "tour" for a "thought museum." Use this mapping website as an alternative to a traditional test, quiz, or homework assignment in literature or social studies: have students demonstrate their understanding by completing a graphic organizer about the main points. Be sure that they RENAME it before they start work to an individual name so you know who did it (they could EMAIL it to you!) or have them print their results to turn in.
Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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Powtoon - powtoon.com
Grades
K to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Powtoon is an amazing, free, animated presentation tool. Sign up for your free account then choose from one of many templates available to edit, or start from scratch. Next, start ...more
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Powtoon is an amazing, free, animated presentation tool. Sign up for your free account then choose from one of many templates available to edit, or start from scratch. Next, start making magic! Create your title and description. Modify slides by changing text, font, image holders, and props. Preview your creation at any time with the play button. Stop and make changes as needed. Change styles easily by choosing a different style within the program. Select from the royalty free music options offered by Powtoon to enhance your presentation. Share the finished presentation via social media buttons on your page to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other popular pages or export to YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then using YouTube may not be your best option. Use the embed code provided to easily embed in your website or blog -- or simply share your Powtoon using the URL provided. Exports are not included with the free membership plan. Email is required to register and use Powtoon.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Challenge older students to create their own PowToons. Students can use PowToon to share their ideas or to "prototype" an idea. Students can create videos to show math processes, explanations of complex concepts, review new learning, teach others, explain scientific processes, tell stories, or present research. The possibilities are really endless, and students will come up with hundreds more uses. Flip your classroom using PowToon presentations. Use PowToon to create teacher-authored animations for students in ANY grade. This is a great way to present new information or ideas for discussion. It is an easy way to share information with the class when a substitute is in your classroom. Embed your PowToon creations on your website or blog for students to review at home. Use a PowToon on the first day of school to explain class rules or give an exciting introduction to the year ahead. Use PowToon to create movies or presentations for back to school night or conference nights to display on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Teacher-librarians can ask students to create PowToon book reviews to share kiosk style in the library/media center.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
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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UsingEnglish.com - UsingEnglish.com
Grades
5 to 12
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0 Comments
Check this site for things you need to help for ESL/ELL students. You will find lesson plans, reference links, grammar practice, reading comprehension work, tests, word lists for specific...more
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Check this site for things you need to help for ESL/ELL students. You will find lesson plans, reference links, grammar practice, reading comprehension work, tests, word lists for specific tests, vocabulary offerings, professional articles, and more. The site is easy to searchand well organized, present exercises and tests in a consistent and easy to read format. The "question bank" offers difficult grammar points in a poll format, with results constantly renewed; some answers are obviously wrong, but grammar, too, has its debatable points! With free membership registration, teachers get access to even more activities, exercises, quizzes, games, a newsletter, and more. NOTE: There is a Forum (bulletin board) feature on this site. If your school does not permit students to use such tools, be sure to spell out the consequences as you tell students to avoid that area.
In the Classroom
Regular classroom teachers will want to use this site with ESL and ELL students fwhen they need a quick review on a specific grammar point. Use the professional articles for your own edification as well as links to other topics of interest.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sounder - Lesson ideas - Easyfunschool
Grades
6 to 7
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Here's one of the rare sites with a brief lesson for the well loved story Sounder. This one, created by Easy Fun School, has some facts about the author ...more
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Here's one of the rare sites with a brief lesson for the well loved story Sounder. This one, created by Easy Fun School, has some facts about the author William Armstrong and a few vocabulary word suggestions. A set of Questions and Activities are included that can be great for reading comprehension, class discussions, and as short writing assignments. Teachers will find the questions useful when planning the study of this compelling story.
In the Classroom
If you are using the questions as short writing assignments, consider having students answer them using an online blogging tool. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, exchange pen and paper and have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, replace pencil and paper and challenge your students to create a blog using Seesaw, reviewed here. Some of the questions call for reasearch. Challenge students to redefine their learning and present their results in a multimedia presentation such as Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Modern Languages - Learning Space Open University
Grades
8 to 12
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This site offers free courses with a great deal of depth on topics featuring modern European languages and English. It is a not a site for beginning language learners or ...more
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This site offers free courses with a great deal of depth on topics featuring modern European languages and English. It is a not a site for beginning language learners or low-level ESL and ELL students. Courses explore language topics, mostly with textual readings. Some of the featured units follow language textbooks. In addition to language topics, there are several offerings in business English. Students can choose what to study in a variety of ways: by topic, time of course, and course number or code. You can put this in your RSS reader.
In the Classroom
Introduce your AP language and world culture students to the materials on this site. Gifted students or those seeking independent language study could also use these courses.Older ENL and ELL students interested in business careers may also find it useful.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Douglas Harper
Grades
6 to 12
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as the author explains, "Etymologies are not definitions; they're explanations of what our words meant 600 or 2,000 years ago." Use this quick online reference to locate the point in...more
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as the author explains, "Etymologies are not definitions; they're explanations of what our words meant 600 or 2,000 years ago." Use this quick online reference to locate the point in time when a word entered into usage the way we know it-- or to find out what it used to mean, such as in Shakespeare. Use the richness of these historical meanings to understand literature or to illustrate the living nature of language.
In the Classroom
Mark this one in the Favorites on classroom computers or in links on your English teacher web page. Feature a word a week on a projector before you start your lesson to help students think about the evolution of language.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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This I Believe, Inc. - Jay Allison, NPR, et. al.
Grades
7 to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
This site offers essay-writing tips, podcasts, and more. Useful across a wide array of humanities topics, including English, social studies, art, music, religion, and speech, this site...more
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This site offers essay-writing tips, podcasts, and more. Useful across a wide array of humanities topics, including English, social studies, art, music, religion, and speech, this site is an inspiration to students and can serve as an essay starter, a discussion starter, or contemporary information about politics, economics, and the world. On its home page it states that this is "an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives." There are essays from the 1950's when the first incarnation of this idea was heard on the radio from famed journalist Edward R. Murrow. There are essays from those who are famous and those you never heard of.
All of the essays are short--usually no more than 400 words. You can hear some of them as they were first broadcast on NPR, and there is a general podcast you can play which defines the site. Anyone can submit their own "This I Believe" essay as long as it follows the guidelines given, and they include essay-writing tips and advanced essay searches to assist anyone interested.
The site includes special features which deal with specific topics and there are ideas for educators, students, and community leaders. The printable curricula require Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
In the Classroom
Searching the "For Educators" page gives you a wide variety of ideas for using this site and these essays. Since students enjoy using first person point of view in their writing, this might be an inspiration for some. You can use some of these essays as conversation starters on topics you are studying in class. (Example: Penn Jillette wrote his essay stating that he believes there is no god. This could be related to many books studied, such as 1984 or Brave New World.) Have students write their essays as blog entries or record them as podcasts using a tool such as Podomatic, reviewed here, or as an illustrated essay using ThingLink, reviewed here. Spanish teachers will want to explore the options to listen to or write essays in Spanish, as well.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Medieval Food, Banquets, and Feasts - Springfield k12
Grades
7 to 12
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You'll find lots of information on Medieval Food, Menus, Banquets, and Feasts. But you can also learn about Medieval Manners, Recipes, Gambling, Music, a blog, and more! This site is...more
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You'll find lots of information on Medieval Food, Menus, Banquets, and Feasts. But you can also learn about Medieval Manners, Recipes, Gambling, Music, a blog, and more! This site is a must-see if you study medieval history and want a high-interest theme-based unit.
In the Classroom
If you teach World History, this is the perfect site to get some extra ideas to make your unit more interesting for your students. In the blog, you will find information about Eleanor of Aquitaine, Castles Gardens, Saint George the Dragon Slayer, and others. If you have weak readers in the class, you may want to use Read Ahead, reviewed here to create a guided reading activity for the blog articles. Enhance learning by having small groups of students choose a topic from the blog for further investigaion and then report about it to the other groups using Genially, reviewed here where students can choose their type of multimedia presentation. Have you heard about the novel A Proud Taste for Scarlett and Miniver, the life story of Eleanor of Aquitaine (who married two kings and gave birth to two kings) by E.L. Konisburg? It is a perfect fit to add historical fiction to your history classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Random House Books for Young People: Teacher's Resource Center - Random House
Grades
1 to 8
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Lots of interesting materials here! Teacher's resources are organized by many categories-- alphabetical, thematic, and award winners. An especially interesting listing is one for reluctant...more
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Lots of interesting materials here! Teacher's resources are organized by many categories-- alphabetical, thematic, and award winners. An especially interesting listing is one for reluctant readers. Links to Children's Book Council, American Library, Children's Literature Web and others make this a good stop to shop.
In the Classroom
Use this site to obtain reading lists, book guides, and recommendations for read-aloud books for the classroom. Make sure to check for updates, as the site gets new lists continuously.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brief Timeline of American Literature and Events - D. Campbell
Grades
8 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Are you looking for a way to connect literature to cultural and historical elements? Making connections between the arts and humanities and the social atmosphere that spawns them is...more
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Are you looking for a way to connect literature to cultural and historical elements? Making connections between the arts and humanities and the social atmosphere that spawns them is invaluable and this site will help students see how it all "fits." The site offers a great interactive timeline from 1500-1920's. Clicking on a year lines up the political and social history next to the literature of the time. Beginning with the 1890's you can match literature with music and movies as well. This is a great tool for use with the whole class or as a resource for individual students.
In the Classroom
Students could use this as a starter for more specific comparisons, including specific regions or states. Use this site as an example for students to create a similar timeline for literature and art from other countries or other cultural areas, such as dance or theatre.Be sure to share the music and sounds from the time periods. Have students analyze what they think is the meaning behind the songs. What historical names do they hear? Then have students create their own songs or video clips about the literature and/or culture of that time period. Record and share the video clips on TeacherTube (explained here).
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Travel For Kids - Globetracks
Grades
2 to 8
2 Favorites
0 Comments
This website provides easy-to-access information about numerous countries. The information focuses on what would interest travelers to each country: the main cities, sites of interest,...more
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This website provides easy-to-access information about numerous countries. The information focuses on what would interest travelers to each country: the main cities, sites of interest, geographical features, food, shopping, family activities, and books. There are approximately 40 countries included (such as Austria, Finland, Hong Kong, Israel, Canada, Cuba, Chile, Bali, Kenya, and numerous others). The highlight of this website is the wonderful annotated list of books about each country.
In the Classroom
Have students research various countries throughout the world -- maybe one from their famiy heritage. Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to have them share the various countries. Have your students read books from the various countries. Then challenge your students to create travel posters or broshures about the country. World language teachers can use the country information for students to learn "plan a trip" to a country where residents speak the language you are studying and create a tour advertisement in the language.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching with Historic Places - National Park Service
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Do you have trouble finding suitable sites to teach state history for YOUR state? This site includes more than 130 "ready to go" lesson plans organized by state. You can ...more
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Do you have trouble finding suitable sites to teach state history for YOUR state? This site includes more than 130 "ready to go" lesson plans organized by state. You can also view the collection by states, social studies standards, U.S. History standards, specific skills, time period, or topic. This resource was pulled together by the National Park service. The specific topics vary from America's Space Program to Skagway: Gateway to the Klondike to Brown v. Board of Education to The Trail of Tears to Pearl Harbor to Lewis and Clark to the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and countless others. Check out what it highlights for your state.
In the Classroom
Search for your state and see what this site has to offer. Looking for a specific topic (i.e. Civil War or Pearl Harbor), search using topics. Take advantage of these ready to go lesson plans. Infuse your lessons with technology by creating a class wiki about the lesson/topic being discussed. Maybe make a wiki guidebook to your state. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through. Save this site in your favorites, and check back as you plan throughout the year.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Earth in the Classroom - Joe Wood
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Google Earth, reviewed here, is a fabulous teaching tool. This teacher-created wiki supplements it with Google Earth Resources galore. Find links...more
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Google Earth, reviewed here, is a fabulous teaching tool. This teacher-created wiki supplements it with Google Earth Resources galore. Find links to lesson plans and files for using Google Earth in your classroom for many subjects. See a tutorial video on Google Earth, find directions for making files, and more. Ideas for using Google Earth by subject even include links to ready-made files so you need not start out by creating from scratch. See what other teachers have done and let it inspire you and your students to do more. Learn how to make kmz (placemarker) files.
In the Classroom
Make this site part of your personal professional development or pair up with a teaching buddy to learn more about Google Earth (GE) and plan activities for your classrooms. Share the link with your students, as well, so your class can become GE experts together. Even if your access to GE is limited to a single class computer, work together with a small team of student "GEniuses" to prepare class placemarker files, then have the team teach other students, as well. If your school has personal professional development plans or allows teacher to suggest topics for professional workshops, include this link, along with other GE resources from TeachersFirst, as your inservice day agenda.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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ABC News - ABC news
Grades
6 to 12
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This nationally 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,...more
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This nationally 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 as a resource for current events projects - assign students various weeks through out the semester in which they are to be the class news reporter, keeping their peers up to date and informed. Have students research whats going on via this news site, and present a small presentation at the beginning of class every day during their week. Students can either orally present, or for the technologically inclined, create a short video summarizing the same information. Have students create news briefs and share them using a tool such as SchoolTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What Makes A Compound Word? - Education Development Center
Grades
5 to 8
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This interactive tutorial introduces compound words and strategies for revealing their meanings. Includes an instructive slide show followed by some completion, click-and-drag, and...more
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This interactive tutorial introduces compound words and strategies for revealing their meanings. Includes an instructive slide show followed by some completion, click-and-drag, and reading comprehension activities. Preview content and difficulty level before turning your students loose on this one.
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Raise a Reader - Illinois Reading Council
Grades
K to 4
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The Illinois Reading Council has selected 12 favorite children's books and created many activities to go with the books. Many of the books may be ones you include in ...more
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The Illinois Reading Council has selected 12 favorite children's books and created many activities to go with the books. Many of the books may be ones you include in your classroom or find in your literature series. These activities include books and newspapers as well as reading and writing. The activities are designed to be used within families but most would be appropriate for classroom use. Besides the twelve featured books, there are more extensive bibliographies divided by grade level.
In the Classroom
Suggest this site to parents to help their children with reading by including the link on your teacher web page or in a newsletter sent home. You might want to share the list with your school librarian in case children ask for the books.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Everyday Edits - Education World
Grades
3 to 6
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Keep polishing those writing skills with this collection of paragraphs, riddled with errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. Students are challenged to find the...more
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Keep polishing those writing skills with this collection of paragraphs, riddled with errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. Students are challenged to find the ten errors in each sample. Project on an interactive white board for a whole-class activity, or print and distribute as an independent activity. Answer keys are included.Be patient. This one is slow to open.
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Kidspired Frostytales - Patricia Knox and Susan Silverman
Grades
K to 2
1 Favorites
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Teachers from around the country participated in this online collaborative project and share their ideas and Kidspiration templates on this site. The activities are based on children's...more
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Teachers from around the country participated in this online collaborative project and share their ideas and Kidspiration templates on this site. The activities are based on children's literature with a winter theme. Kidspiration is required. Get a free demo from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page (click on Inspiration).
In the Classroom
Pick your favorite winter book from the student sample section and download the template on to a classroom computer. Be sure to follow district policies for downloading information from the Internet. You need the software to make the template work. The demo versions are good for 30 days only, but doing a project using a demo is a great way to demonstrate to budget committees why they might consider purchasing the software for your school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dummies.com - John Wiley & Sons
Grades
6 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Everyone knows the "for Dummies" books, but did you know there is an entire web site? This site, created by the same publisher, has text-based and video "How To" information ...more
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Everyone knows the "for Dummies" books, but did you know there is an entire web site? This site, created by the same publisher, has text-based and video "How To" information on thousands of topics, organized into general categories. It is also searchable. The education/languages area has both obvious and more obscure topics than you might expect, from How to Write a Sonnet to How to Build a Bill (in the U.S. Congress). These text- based articles are great for those who follow verbal information well and often include simple diagrams. The more consumer-oriented areas of the site include videos from setting up your wireless network to carving a turkey. Click on "all videos" under the Featured video to see the video categories. Each book featured provides sample articles about whatever topic is featured in the book. Not all articles contained in the books are available.
This site includes advertising.
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In the Classroom
Be sure to tell your students that they are NOT the "dummies" referred to in this site! Then go beyond the obvious use of this site as a reference to use it to teach informational writing, reading comprehension, or any curriculum content. Share text-based articles on a projector or interactive whiteboard and have students analyze the keywords and structure of sequential direction-writing or informational writing before they try it on their own. Use the pens and highlighters to note transitions and other ways of organizing directions, including formatting. Use articles to teach basic comprehension skills by copy/pasting sections and having students drag them into the correct sequence on the whiteboard to form logical directions. In science or social studies classes, enhance learning by having students view models on this site, then work in groups to write their own how-to wiki on curriculum topics such as "How to tell a fungus from a bacterium," "How to solve simultaneous equations," or "How to form a government." Use FlexClip, . If you have access to video equipment, have students write scripts and produce video versions of their how-to instructions and post them on a site such as TeacherTube.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kidspired Tales: A Collaborative Project - Patricia Knox and Susan Silverman
Grades
K to 3
2 Favorites
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Are you interested in using concept mapping but don't know where to begin? This site is loaded with activities teachers have created using Kidspiration. For this project, classes read...more
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Are you interested in using concept mapping but don't know where to begin? This site is loaded with activities teachers have created using Kidspiration. For this project, classes read a book and wrote a different ending or sequel as a class. Teachers then created a follow up activity in any content area using Kidspiration. Samples of the projects, tutorials and templates are available. Kidspiration is required to fully view the samples. Get a 30-day trial from the link provided. TeachersFirst is not recommending purchase of this specific program and is not affiliated with Inspiration or Kidspiration.
In the Classroom
Choose a book and template that fits your curriculum. Load Kidspiration on a classroom computer for students to complete when they have time. As always, follow your district's policies on loading software onto district computers. Many of these activities are easily adaptable to Inspiration, the "older" version of the concept-mapping program.For a free online software alternative see Gliffy .
Note: This site is on a school server and gets busier during the school day. Be patient waiting for it to open!
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