TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of May 19, 2024
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to go to the Featured Sites Archive
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Young Ben Franklin - Gen-Z Media
Grades
4 to 12
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Young Ben Franklin is a ten-episode podcast that introduces listeners to 13-year-old Ben Franklin as a spirited young boy living in colonial Boston. Ben and his friends solve mysteries...more
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Young Ben Franklin is a ten-episode podcast that introduces listeners to 13-year-old Ben Franklin as a spirited young boy living in colonial Boston. Ben and his friends solve mysteries and conduct investigations in each episode as he develops his leadership skills. Visit the section for educators to find a listening guide, explore and choice boards, and video explanations of how to use the accompanying materials in any classroom. Also included is a PDF document that shares the correlation of the materials to reading, speaking, listening, and writing standards.
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many free materials available on this site to engage students when learning about Benjamin Franklin, American History, or inventors. Adapt the choice and explore boards to fit your student's interests and abilities. For example, replace the timeline on the choice board with one created using MyLens, reviewed here. If time isn't available to complete the entire listening guide, copy individual slides to use as part of a listening or writing center. As a culminating activity, extend learning by asking students to use the podcast as a model for researching and learning about other famous Americans. Have them share their learning as part of a multimedia presentation created using Canva Docs, reviewed here or by creating a comic strip presentation using Canva's Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here.
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Fun Stuff for Kids and Teens - The Smithsonian Institution
Grades
K to 12
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Find an abundance of games and learning activities for kids and teens at this engaging site from the experts that The Smithsonian Institution provides. Scroll through the homepage to...more
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Find an abundance of games and learning activities for kids and teens at this engaging site from the experts that The Smithsonian Institution provides. Scroll through the homepage to find activities divided into several categories, including Art, History, and Culture activities and collections, Science and Nature, Art, History activities and collections, and an Art Meets Science collection. Activities include webcams, interactive ebooks, and simulations. Many of the included materials are in Spanish; some activities require downloading from the AppStore from Google Play.
In the Classroom
Add Fun Stuff for Kids and Teams to your science and art bookmarks to use across many different content areas. For example, one activity is called Journey Through an Exploded Star; share a link to this interactive with students to explore before introducing lessons on stars and supernovas. Ask students to share their learning and add questions using IdeaBoardz, reviewed here. Create an IdeaBoard with two columns (or more if desired), then share the link with students to share information and questions with peers. Encourage student engagement in animal-related learning by introducing them to the Art Meets Science Collections. Afterward, ask students to create multimedia projects incorporating animals as art to showcase scientific concepts like habitats, conservation, and human interactions. Find many different templates and presentation ideas at Genially, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Reading Treks: A Weed is a Flower - The Life of George Washington Carver - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 3
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TeachersFirst Reading Treks creates a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration...more
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TeachersFirst Reading Treks creates a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using the trade book, A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver. Use our robust Instructional Guide with students in grades prek-3. Content correlates to Common Core Standards, National Core Arts Standards for Visual Arts, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks here.
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many suggested classroom uses for this resource found on the Instructional Guide (PDF). This book and the suggested activities work well as part of lessons on racism, slavery, and African-American history. Consider using the historical information from the book and other primary sources to create timelines with your students showing the important events during the story. Find a variety of free online timeline creation tools located here. Use Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here to have students create simple videos using just photos and their own voice. Even the youngest student can click the record button to create a video sharing what they learned about George Washington Carver. Find free images to use in your videos within this collection reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MetKids - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Grades
2 to 12
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Explore over 5,000 years of art in three exciting ways at this vibrant, interactive site from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Along the menu at the top find Explore the ...more
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Explore over 5,000 years of art in three exciting ways at this vibrant, interactive site from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Along the menu at the top find Explore the Map, where you choose and double click red or yellow markers to explore fun facts and videos about art worldwide. Next, hop into the Time Machine to learn more about specific times, geography, and big ideas such as inventions or creatures. Also, find Videos that teach about celebrations, share art made by kids, or provide detailed directions for creating your art, all on the menu bar across the top.
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use on classroom computers or for a blended class for students to explore on their own. Streghthen student learning by asking them to find information for a specific period of time or country and label what they find important using Webnote, reviewed here; tell students to be sure to save the URL to share their notes and questions with you and their peers. Next, transform classroom technology and extend learning by showing students how to embed media into an interactive time line using Sutori, reviewed here. With Sutori you can include images, text, and collaboration, or Preceden, reviewed here, for creating multi-layer timelines for over lapping events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Smithsonian Learning Lab - The Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access
Grades
4 to 12
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Discover, create, and share digital resources from the Smithsonian Museum, the National Zoo, and nine major research centers with this visually appealing site. Use the search feature...more
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Discover, create, and share digital resources from the Smithsonian Museum, the National Zoo, and nine major research centers with this visually appealing site. Use the search feature to find digital resources including photos, recordings, videos, and text. Sign up to create your own collections, including those found on the site and your own resources. Also, click Discover and use the search bar to find topics already on the site your class is studying like dinosaurs, explorers, black history, volcanoes, etc. Add annotations and develop quizzes. Easily share your creations or curated collections using social networking links provided. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
In the Classroom
The Smithsonian Learning Lab is a must-add to your list of classroom bookmarks! Search for collections and information throughout the year on all topics. Add a link to classroom computers for the entire site or specific collections. Be sure to take advantage of the many features of this site to create customized collections, then have students add additional resources. Have students create quizzes for review of topics. Enhance student learning by challenging them to create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.Comments
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Da Vinci - The Genius - The Museum of Science
Grades
6 to 12
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Explore an Inventor's Workshop through the eyes of Leonardo da Vinci. Click Menu in the upper right corner to choose different areas of this site like the Inventor, the Scientist, ...more
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Explore an Inventor's Workshop through the eyes of Leonardo da Vinci. Click Menu in the upper right corner to choose different areas of this site like the Inventor, the Scientist, the Artist, and more. Discover elements of machines, gadget anatomy, linear perspective, and the golden ratio. Also included on the site are activities for having students sketch and build their own inventions. Other portions of this resource take viewers deeper into the world of Leonardo by providing perspective on Renaissance times, exploring his special way of writing, and discovering Leonardo's activities in different Italian cities.
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use on your interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Explore the different portions together during your studies of the Renaissance, inventors, or artists such as Leonardo da Vinci. Share a link to this site on your class webpage for students to explore at home, or to use in your blended class activities. Add a link on classroom computers for use during computer centers. Have students replace paper and pen notes and take digital notes about what they are learnng using a tool like SimpleNote, reviewed here. Enhance students' learning by using Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Leonardo da Vinci or other Renaissance artists. Extend student learning by challenging individuals and small groups to take one of the concepts they learned from Leonardo and apply it to something from today's world. Use a bulletin board tool like Lino, reviewed here, to record and save student ideas. With Lino you can create stickies with images, commenting, videos, and more. After individuals and small groups have devoloped their art, invention, etc., have them present their learning and their invention, art, etc. to peers using one of these multimedia tools: Click the tool name to access the review: Genially, Microsoft PowerPoint Online, Animatron, Renderforest, and Canva Inforgraphic Maker.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GE Focus Forward - GE & Cinelan.com
Grades
6 to 12
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GE Focus Forward offers a series of 30 three-minute videos featuring stories about innovators. Directed by award-winning documentary film makers, the films range in topics from a "Journey...more
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GE Focus Forward offers a series of 30 three-minute videos featuring stories about innovators. Directed by award-winning documentary film makers, the films range in topics from a "Journey Under the Sea" to a look at the "Secrets of Trees." Hover over any film icon to view a short description of the topic. Click to begin. Share films using social networking buttons within the film. Copy the code (click the video you want, then, click the third symbol in the upper right corner to copy the code) to embed on any website or blog. Videos are hosted on Vimeo, which is accessible in most schools.
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students explore this site independently or in small groups. There is one film about sanitation that refers to "poop," so you may want to avoid classroom giggles from less mature students by setting the tone for scientific viewing. Use as any part of a career unit, as a look at explorers and innovators, or when discussing character education. Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class for further practice. Challenge students to choose a topic to further explore and create 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): Infogram, Marq (formerly Lucidpress), Powtoon, and Vibby.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Famous Scientists - famousscientists.org
Grades
6 to 12
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Know your Einstein from your Eddington with this informative site that profiles some of the greatest scientists. Learn about their contributions to science and society and how their...more
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Know your Einstein from your Eddington with this informative site that profiles some of the greatest scientists. Learn about their contributions to science and society and how their discoveries affect us today.
This site includes advertising.
This 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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Re-Living the Wright Way - Tom Benson - NASA
Grades
3 to 12
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This site provides information and resources about the Wright Brothers, their flights, and the science behind their work. The site was created to celebrate the centennial anniversary...more
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This site provides information and resources about the Wright Brothers, their flights, and the science behind their work. The site was created to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Wright Brothers historic flight. Although the site may appear simple in design, scroll down the page - it has many nooks and crannies to explore.
In the Classroom
This site provides teachers with resources on the topics of Newton's Laws of Motion, The Four Forces of Flight, Lift, Drag, Thrust, Weight, Center of Gravity, Roll, and Pitch. View the videos using an interactive whiteboard or projector. Download the simulations to your classroom computers and have students work in groups to solve them. Have students work cooperatively to complete one of the many activities found on the site like building a model airplane. Students can then conduct an investigation to see whose plane can fly the farthest.
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Do Try This at Home: Invention at Play - Smithsonian Museum of National History
Grades
K to 6
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The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation offers this site as a way to explore and learn how to play. The site includes opportunities for play that ...more
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The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation offers this site as a way to explore and learn how to play. The site includes opportunities for play that develops visual thinking, problem solving, exploration, and collaboration. You can also create your own doodles to help develop creative thinking and invention. Find a multitude of ideas for students to investigate and create from designing an all-terrain wheelchair, inventing a toy, to redesigning the shopping cart or creating a solared-powered invention. Scroll down the page to find "Story Tags." There is a link to Women inventor's stories, which ncludes the stories of some male intventors, too! Read about little known and well known inventors such as Stephanie Kwolek (Kevlar) and Alexander Bell (telephone). Each story includes background on the inventor and information on how their idea developed. Several videos are included demonstrating play activities and skills developed through play and the use of common toys.
In the Classroom
Create a link to the site on classroom computers for students to explore the games. Share the site with parents on your classroom website or blog as a resource for using play as a learning tool. Share the site at conferences or parent meetings as a resource for developing learning skills through play. Include the inventor biographies as a resource for students when researching inventors.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Great Inventions, Great Inventors - edinformatics.com
Grades
4 to 12
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Find an extensive list of great inventions on this straightforward site. The "look" is simple, but the information useful. Click each invention to view a definition/description, information...more
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Find an extensive list of great inventions on this straightforward site. The "look" is simple, but the information useful. Click each invention to view a definition/description, information on its invention, the inventor, and other related information including links to other topics. Note that ads do appear on these pages. Caution students to avoid them.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Find information for science and technology reports on this site. Allow students to view the dates of many of the inventions to determine what scientific principle was just known to push technological thinking. For younger students, create a timeline of inventions to enhance learning and determine the impact of science, economy, and society on inventions. Use a site such as Sutori, reviewed here, that can include images, text, and collaboration. Ask older students to choose an invention and research other forms of that model, alternatives before and after, and what we are using today. Discuss environmental impacts, how the invention changed society, and other impacts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12
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The Library of Congress offers this collection of photographs, letters, and other documents related to the lives of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Images and documents...more
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The Library of Congress offers this collection of photographs, letters, and other documents related to the lives of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Images and documents in the archive provide primary sources on the history of flight. The archive is easy to navigate and a search will include a timeline of the brothers' lives, a family tree hyperlinked to relevant documents, and the expected photographs of Wilbur and Orville and their flying machines. Of special interest to many would be the story of the brothers' early failed enterprises, demonstrating that even famous inventors fail before finding success, as well as the many letters between the Wrights and other well known people of the time such as Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh.
In the Classroom
Students doing research on the Wright brothers will find this site invaluable. Have students work in cooperative learning groups and research a specific topic found at this site. Exchange paper and pen notes by having students to take notes with an online tool like Simplenote, reviewed here. Have them share the info they learned with their small group. Tell students to be sure to save the URL to share their notes and questions. Simplenote allows you to access and update across all devices. Enhance learning by challenging students to modify their technology use and create a multimedia presentation using a tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (on a map) where the story takes place. Alternatively, students could use Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, to enhance their learning and transform technology use by creating an interactive poster for their presentation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Inventor of the Week - MIT Lemelson Center
Grades
6 to 12
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The Lemelson Center at MIT once offered a weekly profile of an inventor - some famous, many less so. Here you will find an archive of those scientists. If you're ...more
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The Lemelson Center at MIT once offered a weekly profile of an inventor - some famous, many less so. Here you will find an archive of those scientists. If you're doing a unit on scientists, creativity, or economic/industrial growth, this site can help students understand how many advances are the result of small, incremental improvements rather than revolutionary breakthroughs.
In the Classroom
Use the Inventor Archive as an activator at the beginning of every week in a science or Physics classroom. This could be used as an activator over the interactive whiteboard, a projector, or as a learning center or station. This could be used every week or before inventive projects, serving as a motivator!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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USPTO - United States Patent and Trademark Office - United States Patent and Trademark Office
Grades
3 to 12
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Visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to help kids of all ages learn about trademarks and patents, and the importance of intellectual property creation and protection....more
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Visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to help kids of all ages learn about trademarks and patents, and the importance of intellectual property creation and protection. USPTO features "collectible" cards of inventor profiles, activities at different levels - including videos about the paticulars of patents, trademarks, and more. In another video section are videos with age appropriate appeal, and titles like Driverless Cars, Bionic Limbs, Biofuels, Electronic Tattoos, and more. The invention and design focus of most of the activities makes for perfect STEM and "maker space" lessons. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
In the Classroom
Whether an elementary, middle, or high school teacher you'll find ideas for building model rockets and more. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector and start by viewing the video on the home page titled Extraordinary Innovations. Or, in your blended or flipped class have students watch the video at home and enhance their learning by using playposit, reviewed here, to take notes, make comments, or ask questions to document what they learned from the video. Be sure to have a small or whole group discussion about what they learned from the video using their notes & comments the next day! At the end of your lesson or unit on patents and trademarks, transform learning by challenging students to create a timeline for the invention of the snowboard, or motorcycles, or another topic of interest. Why not modify classroom technology and make this an interactive timeline with music, photos, videos, and more using Timeline JS, reviewed here.
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