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When Tragedy Hits - NewseumEd
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Read all materials before presenting this simulation to the class. You may decide participation may be too difficult for some students - those with a personal connection to this or similar tragedies. Make a copy of Setting the Scene and Scenarios for each student. Project the PDFs with the projector and ask students to volunteer for a read-aloud - read-around with all listening to one person and then another. Use the accompanying discussion questions. Consider giving all students a chance to voice their opinions (even the shyest and quiet ones) by using a tool like Backchannel Chat, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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World News Reporter - Passport - NewseumED
Grades
4 to 7In the Classroom
This lesson would work well when your class is talking about current world events, current events in science, or for a lesson on media reporting of news events. Once the class has completed World Reporter Passport, challenge small groups of students to extend their new skills by choosing a topic of interest and developing a news article about it. Students can use a site like Model Bank Elements of Language, reviewed here, to see how to write a proper news article. There is always the "traditional" paper and pen way to write the article. If you would like to try integrating technology in your class assignments, ask students to write their final product online using Printing Press, reviewed here. With Printing Press, individual articles will become part of a newspaper.To further extend students' knowledge about their chosen topic and to get a "real world" point of view, they could interview a specialist in the topic using video or a podcast. Have students create podcasts using a site such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here.
Some ideas for finding people to interview would be to contact someone on Twitter, at a local nursing home, fire station, or museum to recollect times such as wars, the Great Depression, Civil Rights Movements, and more. To hone students questioning skills Refer to Story Corps, reviewed here. Once at StoryCorps click participate then Questions. You'll find tips on interview questions and an interview check list to use with students.
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From Provocative to Productive - NewseumEd
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Have this lesson handy when a controversial or contentious subject emerges. You just never know when that will happen, but you can run with it if you prepare using these NewseumEd guidelines. Share them with students, so they will understand what they need to do to participate successfully in a discussion or debate. Are there no issues at hand? Try finding one using Code Switch, reviewed here. At Code Switch find award-winning journalists from a variety of races to share their perspectives on current issues. Try giving students a choice! Show them several subjects and use Dotstorming, reviewed here, to comment and vote on topics for the discussion. Use the opportunity to hone students information literacy skills by reviewing how to evaluate and cite sources. Once they have researched their topic, and are ready to discuss, use a tool such as Thinkalong, reviewed here, to practice their discussion and argument strategies. With older students, a next step might be to take the debate public using Virtual Debate, reviewed here, which has online examples and resources for conducting virtual debates.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World Press Freedom Map - NewseumEd
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Begin by showing students the Freedom House interactive map and read the information in the right column about what a genuinely free press is. Compare that info to a partly free press (explained just under it). Then have students work in small groups or with a partner to fill out the worksheet/chart. Complete a class discussion of the chart, and then have the small groups or pairs choose one of the countries with partial freedom of the press and research what other freedoms the U.S. enjoys that are restricted or repressed for the citizens of that country. Add these to the chart. Challenge students to convert their paper worksheet/chart to an online digital infographic to present their findings using Visme, reviewed here, or to set up their own graphic organizer to show the comparisons using an online tool such as TUZZit, reviewed here. TUZZit allows you to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Decoding Elections: Process, Persuasion & Participation - NewseumEd
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Whether the nation or your local government is going through an unpleasant, combative election campaign, or even during a yearly unit on the elections this collection from Newseum will help students understand our political system. Pique student interest by having them take the Political Personality Quiz. In small groups have students discuss whether or not they agree with the results. Next, you may want to use the Candidate Match to refine their political profile further, and then discuss how they feel about the candidate they matched up with and why they feel that way. While using any or all of the case studies with your students, don't forget to download the Activity, Handout, and Worksheet. All of the case studies have discussion topics.All students need to have a voice during discussions, whether discussing as a class or in small groups, allow everyone to share their opinions and concerns using a backchannel tool for the class such as GoSoapBox, reviewed here, or with older students, in small groups, using a tool like Slack, reviewed here. Extension activities encompass making charts, lists, (use tools like 25 Language Arts Graphic Organizers, reviewed here, or Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, reviewed here), researching a candidate creating a slogan and explaining why the slogan fits that candidate, and creating a campaign event. For the latter two extension suggestions use a tool such as Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here.
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Speechnotes - Speechlogger & TTSReader
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Speechnotes is a very versatile tool, for students, parents, and teachers alike. Bypass poor typing skills, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and physical disabilities. Use this tool to create emails, documents, or anything requiring typed text. Use in your writing class so students can get their thoughts into text without having to also think about typing. Be sure they edit their work. Use when you are in a hurry with emails requiring long text. Use for your newsletters or family emails. Share this on your class website and at Back to School Night. Emerging literacy students will enjoy the success they have with their oral language into written word. Improve content and forget about mechanics of writing or typing. Focus in on grammar and mechanics after seeing the recognized mistakes. Include this website on every toolbar and as a favorite on your class web page. ENL/ESL students can speak English, play it back, and correct it until it "sounds right" and expresses their ideas correctly.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Flipped Learning Global Initiative - Flipped Learning LLC
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
If you are considering flipping your classroom or have begun using this technique, bookmark this site as a resource for professional learning and collaboration. View webinars with your peers as you learn how to flip a classroom together. Have questions? Share your thoughts and ideas on the community forum to get answers from educators experienced in flipping their classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Memorial Day Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Share these resources with your students as you learn about Memorial Day. Create a cross-curricular project by having students research the history of the holiday and then write a letter or poem.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Passover Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use these resources as you prepare social studies lessons about Passover. Provide some of the links on your class website for students (and families) to explore on their own.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Who, Me? Biased? - New York Times
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Share videos with students either with a projector, an interactive whiteboard, or use the link or embed codes on your class website to view at home. Have students view from home and enhance learning using Acclaim, reviewed here where you can stop the video and ask questions about the parts where students may need clarification right on the video! Have cooperative learning groups extend their learning by creating podcasts sharing their insight into biases and racism along with suggestions on ways to address each problem. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here. Share this site with your school's counselor for use with ongoing lessons in tolerance and diversity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Students Investigating Primary Sources - Florida Joint Center for Citizenship
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
Benefit from the free lessons on this site for use when teaching the use of primary sources. Challenge younger students to demonstrate concepts learned by creating a presentation using slides, reviewed here, and older students to use a presentation tool from Marq (was Lucidpress), reviewed here. The easy drag and drop features of Marq allow you to personalize flyers, posters, presentations, and more. Ask students to incorporate primary sources and other research materials into an interactive timeline using Preceden, reviewed here, as a visual look at historical events over a certain period.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Immigrant Stories - Immigration History Research Center Univ of Minnesota
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Have your ESL/ELL students share their stories here (with permission from parents) when doing a biography writing unit. Have all students search for stories of immigrants whose ethnic background resembles their own. Have each student choose one story to read about and share a quick multimedia project with the class, such as a simple online posters using PicLits, reviewed here. Ask students who have a relative who is an immigrant to interview them, and then use a tool such as the 3 Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare the experiences. This could be done using a story from the same country, or other countries. Use stories from this site as a writing prompt for a poem or digital story about an aspect of immigrant life, asking students to put themselves in the immigrant's shoes. For presentations of digital stories challenge students to use Presentious, reviewed here. This tool allows narrating and adding text to a picture. For the advanced digital atudent and teacher challenge them to create their story as a game using Pencil Code Gym, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection Stories - National Museum of African American History and Culture
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Share stories from this collection to provide a personal look at events from African-American history in the United States. Use stories as an example, and ask students to find additional artifacts from the National Museum and research to discover the story behind the item. Have younger students use Kiddle, reviewed here, a kid-friendly search engine to find documents about their particular object. Younger students could bring an item from their home to tell the story of its history. For either of these ideas, enhance student learning by encouraging them to create online books for sharing the stories using a tool such as Ourboox, reviewed here. Ask students to find local residents with knowledge of historical events to come talk to your class about the "behind the scenes" story, or set up a Zoom meeting with an African-American leader. Use these stories for informational reading in your Language Arts classroom, and as a wonderful resource to use for covering the informational reading standards required with the CCSS.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Forms - Google
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of the flexibility of Google Forms to create surveys for parents and students at the beginning of the year to learn about student interests, create parent volunteer lists, and much more. Create sign in and sign out sheets for classroom library materials including books and digital equipment. Use Google Forms to set up and collaborate on lesson plans, include check boxes to standards, materials needed, and covered content. Google Forms is perfect to use for assessment purposes - create online quizzes and exit tickets. Have students use Google Forms to prepare and submit reading logs, brainstorm and collaborate with fellow students, create choose your own adventure stories, or schedule reading and writing conference times. Use Google Forms to set up and share rubrics for any project, have students complete the rubric and turn in with any completed assignment. The uses for Google Forms are as unlimited as your imagination; this is a must-have tool for all classrooms!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Vanishing: The Extinction Crisis is Far Worse than you Think - CNN
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use on interactive whiteboards as an introduction to any unit on animals, habitats, or earth conservation. Explore together, then allow students to explore in depth on their own. Have students either individually or as groups choose a topic found on this site to research further. If you are new to integrating technology you may want to have students create a presentation using Visme, reviewed here. Looking for something different? Have students use Microsoft Sway, reviewed here, to create an interactive presentation including charts, videos, and images.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Free School - YouTube Channel - FreeSchool
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use as a way to introduce new topics or subjects to establish background knowledge. Share these videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard to provide an introduction (or review) on various topics. If you allow students to explore on their own, take caution since they could click and go elsewhere on YouTube. Share a link to this site with parents through your classroom website or newsletter for students to view at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Microsoft Learn - Microsoft
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many resources on the site for use in your classroom and share with peers. . Enroll in the self-paced courses and tutorials to learn how to use Microsoft tools such as OneNote, PowerPoint, Teams, and others. Enroll in the online courses for personal learning in many topics or share with others in your building and learn together. Earn certificates and become a Microsoft Innovative Educator. Include all courses as part of any professional development plan.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Great Fire of London - Museum of London
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use on an interactive whiteboard (or with a projector) to understand the background and impact of the Great Fire of London as well as what life was like in 1666. Include this as part of any study of this period of time in Europe. Share this site during fire prevention week as an example of how society has learned about the dangers of fire and adapted building safety throughout time. Allow students to explore the site independently or in small groups, then compare and contrast life in London then to modern life. Improve and expand learning by having students create a multimedia presentation using Visme, reviewed here. Visme allows you to narrate your slides. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Infographic Portal - infographicportal.com
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Click on any infographic link to see it in full along with additional information including the image source and a link to download and save to your computer. Take advantage of the infographics on this site for both classroom use and professional development. Introduce a topic by sharing the Infographic and allowing time for students (or peers) to identify various items they notice about the chart. Allow students the chance to think-pair-share and list questions for further understanding. Choose a new infographic each week to share on your classroom website. Make curriculum content more real with infographics students can relate to. Consider creating Infographics of material students are learning in class for better understanding and connection with other topics and the world around them. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Infogram, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Taskade - John Xie & Stan ChangKhin Boon
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Create checklists of steps in a project. Place all notes in one place, so you do not forget. Use this tool easily in your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) classroom since all students will be able to access it for free, no matter what device they have. They could use Taskade for assignment information, reminders, and more. Consider setting up a class account that can be used by all students. Spell out the use of the site and what is allowed and not allowed -- and the penalties. Set up separate accounts for student groups who can then share their notebook with other groups.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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